ORLANDO, Fla. — The demand for food in Central Florida has grown dramatically since COVID-19 has shut down much of Central Florida’s businesses.

In his own Orange County neighborhood, Henry Zifferblatt has been volunteering to help feed seniors and kids for almost a year.

“It’s good for me as well it is for them, it’s a sense of purpose,” Zifferblatt said.

He does that with the United Global Outreach Center in Bithlo, where families can come pick up meals daily or have them delivered.

“We deliver a week’s worth of lunches and breakfasts that they can heat up,” Zifferblatt said.

But ever since the pandemic, he says the need has increased greatly, especially from seniors with preexisting conditions.

“Either its breathing problems, heart issues, diabetes whatever it is. They don’t want to expose themselves to the public,” he said.

They get those much needed meals from Second Harvest Food Bank. Leaders there say the demand for food assistance has grown exponentially during the pandemic.

“We’ve never seen anything like this -- not through hurricanes, not through recessions, you name it,” said CEO Dave Krepcho.

Krepcho says since attractions, hotels and restaurants have been shut down because of COVID-19, tens of thousands don’t know where their next meal is coming from.

“Many of them, prior to the virus, were already on the edge of perhaps, not having enough money for an emergency, a couple hundred bucks in their bank account… it’s put a lot of people over the edge as well,” Krepcho said.

To cope Krepcho says they’re devoting more resources to mobile food pantries and deliveries. They also put their catering staff to work helping prepare ready to eat meals.

These are meals Henry says brings his neighborhood closer together in a time where connection is needed almost as bad as food.

“It had been a couple years since I spoke to them, we wave and we talk now, pandemic might draw people apart, but it also brings people together,” Zifferblatt said.

Any seniors or school-age children in Bithlo can come get meals at the outreach center at 18409 11th Avenue daily between 11:30 a.m. and 12 p.m.

Krepcho says you can also help them raise funds to buy food for people in need by donating to their virtual food drive, which you can find online.