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For those in need of emergency food assistance, we want to help ensure you have access to healthy, nutritious foods for as long as needed. We will begin by checking your eligibility for government assisted programs such as SNAP. As a DCF self-service site, our staff and volunteers are trained to navigate the application process.

Next, we are going to make sure you have a membership to utilize the Member Share Grocery Program, where your SNAP benefits can be used. We make sure all individuals and families who have completed this process have access to food for their next few meals by creating an emergency food bag tailored to their family needs.

After a first time visit, crisis navigators are empowered to provide additional food resources from our pantry or vouchers to our grocery program. However, after a first visit, most families are enrolled in one of our programs where they can earn food, transportation assistance or even tuition assistance based on their participation level.

For more information on helping UP Orlando keep our Emergency Food Pantry stocked, please contact Jaye Silvagnoli at (407) 650-0774 ext. 425 or [email protected].

A flyer for office/event use can be downloaded here.

An Emergency Food Pantry is an important part of the operations for any community service agency.  It is when food pantries become the primary long term source of assistance for a family that the good intentions of neighbors, churches and agencies actually contribute to generational poverty. United Against Poverty partners with dozens of other community organizations to not only meet immediate food needs for families struggling to put food on the table, but also address health challenges and connect families with resources that will break the terrible cycle of poverty.

In addition to our main Member Share Grocery Program, we maintain a small Emergency Food Pantry to help families that are facing true crisis situations. Because everything we do at UP Orlando centers around our “hand up, not handout” model, we only provide bags of food and hygiene products to those visiting us for the first time in an emergency need situation. We then encourage these families or individuals to join our other programs or begin working with our Crisis Navigator to get back on the road to self-sufficiency.

The non-perishable items stocked in the pantry are exclusively provided by food drives hosted by schools, churches, companies, civic groups and neighborhoods. You can help stock our shelves by collecting protein-rich items like peanut butter, tuna fish, canned chili, Vienna sausages and canned ravioli. Your kindness will not only put food on the table for a hungry family, but help a parent take the first step towards bettering their life.

*Donations of food and hygiene products can be dropped off at our Life Enrichment Center five days a week, Monday – Friday 9am – 5:30pm.