Jewish Family Services Orlando (JFS Orlando), a nonprofit, human service agency, has joined forces with Orlando area synagogues and Jewish agencies for the communitywide High Holidays 2013 food drive to combat hunger in Central Florida.

Local synagogues, agencies and their members will collect nonperishable food items during the High Holidays season in support of JFS Orlando’s 2013 High Holiday food drive. With the support of Winn-Dixie, JFS is supplying each synagogue and Jewish agency with paper grocery bags available for their members to take home and fill with nonperishable groceries. Donated items will be used to supply the JFS Pearlman Emergency Food Pantry and distributed to those in need.

“We’re enthusiastic about the support our synagogues, Jewish agencies and community give this food drive,” said JFS executive director Eric Geboff. “It proves Central Florida is dedicated to the value of tikun olam so that we can all reach our goals and attain our dreams for a better world. We hope that in the coming year, fewer people are hungry and families grow stronger.”

More than 50 million Americans struggle with food insecurity each year, signifying that one out of every six people in the U.S. are unsure from where their next meal will come. Jewish Family Services’ Pearlman Pantry provides emergency food assistance to hungry individuals and families in Central Florida. In 2012, JFS Orlando provided more than 77,000 meals to needy Central Floridians in an effort to alleviate hunger in and anticipates providing a similar number of meals in 2013.

Established in 1978 as a nonprofit human service agency, JFS Orlando provides social programs and services to struggling children and families of all faiths in the Central Florida community. JFS particularly supports efforts to prevent hunger and homelessness, and provide counseling to those in need. For more information about JFS and its programs, call 407-644-7593 or visit http://www.jfsorlando.org.