By Josh CohenApril 5, 2016
ORLANDO – The Orlando Magic are on a mission to end childhood hunger. In fact, they are so aggressive in fighting this widespread problem that for the fourth straight year the entire organization assisted in a food-packing event.
Volunteers from the Magic and UnitedHealthcare (UHC) teamed up for several hours on Tuesday at the RDV Sportsplex to prepare 12,500 food packs to benefit Second Harvest’s Hi-Five Kids Pack program. The program provides nutritious meals to children who do not have access to school cafeterias during the weekend.
Over the last four years, 51,000 children in Central Florida have been positively impacted from this event. Also, because of the efforts of the Magic and UHC, Second Harvest was able to add four new schools to the Hi-Five Kids Pack program. Two of the schools (Killarney Elementary and Tangelo Park Elementary School) received the packs in the past but had to stop due to resource deficiencies. However, they are now back on board. In addition, five new schools have been added this school year.
Magic General Manager Rob Hennigan, Head Coach Scott Skiles and players Victor Oladipo and Evan Fournier were just four of 250 volunteers working hard to combat this unfortunate issue at Tuesday’s event.
“It means a lot to me, it means a lot to our organization to give back to kids,” Oladipo said. “It’s crazy to think that there are 5, 6, 7 year olds going to sleep not knowing when the next meal is coming.”
The reality on childhood hunger and poor nutrition is quite startling. Here are a few concerning statistics the Magic hope to reduce or even erase in the near future:
* 1 in 6 Central Floridians are struggling with hunger and food insecurity * 70 percent of households had to choose between paying for food and paying for rent/mortgage at least once in the past 12 months * 53 percent of households report at least one member with high blood pressure
“This is just so amazing to have two groups (Magic and UHC) that are so supportive and continue to give back,” Second Harvest Food Bank Stewardship and Special Projects Manager Jennifer Landress said. “The hardest thing is when they (kids) go to school Monday, haven’t eaten all weekend, now they’re supposed to take a test, pay attention in class. They shouldn’t worry about where their food is coming from and we know that kids can’t be as successful as they can be if they are worrying about being hungry every night.”
The 6,000 service hours spent annually by Magic staff and players in the community go a long way in helping families and children live healthier. In his time in the area since joining the Magic in 2014, Fournier has noticed the impact.
“When they asked me to come (to Tuesday’s event), I said of course,” Fournier said. “Any time I can do something to help someone, I’ll do it. The Magic are doing a lot of things. They are really involved in the community and they show us by example. They set the table for us.”
Since the Magic drafted him in 2013, Oladipo has made a pledge to be someone who others can look to for support and inspiration. He takes pride in helping others reach their full potential and accepts being a role model for thousands of children.
This approach and mindset doesn’t go unnoticed. In fact, Oladipo was recently named the 2015-16 Rich & Helen DeVos Community Enrichment Award winner for all his contributions in the community.
“I’m so grateful and it’s a humbling experience,” Oladipo said while packing an assortment of snacks for kids at Tuesday’s event. “I’m just going to continue to give back.”
UHC and its staff have a similar outlook. Like the Magic, they spend countless hours in the community.
“The name of our program is ‘Do Good, Live Well’ and that actually came about because we did a study that shows when you do something good for everybody else it makes you feel good and that’s exactly what is happening here today,” UHC Director of Social Responsibility Shannon Loecher said. “We legitimately are trying to build healthier communities and a lot of that starts with people having enough to eat and making sure kids are fed. It impacts their school, it impacts their health and it impacts their fitness.”
