OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — A new school market is now open in Osceola County.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida has partnered with the Poinsette Foundation to provide the resource to Kissimmee Elementary School.
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“My mom, she always used to tell me and my siblings how food should be shared and how no child should be hungry,” Audrey Sosa, a student at the school, said. “That’s why I thought Benny’s Bodega would be a great opportunity for our community.”
Sosa is just one of the students at Kissimmee Elementary who will now benefit from Benny’s Bodega.
From fruit cups, to ramen, to seasonings that can help make a meal, the new school market on campus is vital to help students have access to nutritious foods.
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“This program is intended to increase food resources for students experiencing hunger in a student-centered, stigma-reducing away,” Briana Rebello, the School Partnerships Manager for Second Harvest, said. “We do that by getting students involved in the operations.”
Sosa has helped unpack groceries and stock the market shelves.
She said her small effort can go a long way.
“I see some kids here and they don’t have stuff,” Sosa said. “I’m like Benny’s Bodega would really help them.”
The market will be open twice a week to students and families. Leaders said it’s all in an effort to help every one in six children who are experiencing hunger in Central Florida.
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“If you don’t have to worry about your belly being empty or grumbling in class, you can focus and learn and thrive,” Rebello said.
This school market is part of Second Harvest’s School Partnerships Program.
The program now operates at seven schools in Osceola County and 76 schools in total in Central Florida.
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