September is Hunger Action Month, and since 1971, Walt Disney World Resort has been working alongside local nonprofits and community leaders to help end hunger and address food insecurity throughout the state of Florida by helping and supporting their neighbors in need.

Since 1991, Disney World has collected excess food from the resort and donated it to local nonprofits feeding the hungry. Last year, Disney World donated more than 722,000 pounds of food – or about 600,000 meals – through Disney Harvest. The donated food went to nine local nonprofits, from homeless shelters to food pantries.

Many nonprofits work 24/7 to ensure Central Florida families have enough food to thrive, and Disney World supports them through monetary donations, volunteer hours, and more.

Examples:

• In 2024, Disney made a $150,000 donation to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, which enabled the creation of approximately 600,000 meals for Central Florida families. The resort gave an additional $500,000 to Second Harvest that year in the wake of Hurricane Milton to help feed families in crisis after the storm.
• Last year, Disney VoluntEARS spent nearly 3,500 hours lending a helping hand at Second Harvest.
• Of the $500,000 in Disney Grants awarded this year, $300,000 went directly to fund programs addressing hunger: Valencia College’s VCentials food pantry, United Against Poverty’s mobile food pantry program, and Osceola Council on Aging’s Emergency Food Pantry and Mobile Food Pantry programs.

Community Opinions:

• “Access to safe, healthy and affordable food is a critical need facing the Central Florida community. Every day we’re working alongside nonprofit organizations and are focused on supporting this important cause in ways that only Disney can.” – Tajiana Ancora-Brown, Director of External Affairs at Disney World
• “I get to see the passion of our cast members and how that leads to real impact on Second Harvest and Florida families. Their love for our community is what drives me. It pushes me to think of other ways we can show up and support those who need it most.” – Perry Crawley, Director of Disney Programs & Experiences and Board Chair at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida
• “For decades, Walt Disney World’s unwavering support has been a foundational aspect to our mission at Second Harvest Food Bank. We have been able to grow our services dramatically with the resources of food, funds, volunteers, and expertise that we continue to receive.” – Derrick Chubbs, President and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida
• “We are deeply grateful for the support from Disney. It allows us to be there for families when they need it most. Together, we can prevent homelessness, fight hunger and give parents the reassurance that they are not alone.” – Wendy Ford, President and CEO of Osceola Council on Aging

Here are some more facts about Disney helping overcome food insecurity:

• Disney Harvest takes excess food from Disney theme parks & resorts and donates it to local nonprofits
• 420+ locations across Walt Disney World collect food for Disney Harvest
• 9 nonprofits in Central Florida receive food from Disney Harvest
• 600,000+ meals were donated to Central Florida nonprofits through Disney Harvest in 2024
• Disney VoluntEars spent nearly 3,500 hours volunteering at Second Harvest in 2024
• $115,000 was donated to Second Harvest through Disney VoluntEARS grants and Disney Employee Matching Gifts in 2024
• 7,000 food items were donated to Second Harvest by Disney & Dole through CANstruction 2024
• 1,300 food items were donated to Second Harvest by Cast Members during the 2024 holiday food drive
• $300,000 was donated to 3 nonprofits addressing hunger through 2025 Disney Grants
• $100,000 was donated to Second Harvest during the holidays in 2024
• $50,000 was donated to Second Harvest through runDisney in 2024

What do you think of Disney’s efforts to combat food insecurity? Let us know in the comments.