VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Volusia County recently lost one of its biggest advocates for those in need: Gloria Max, the late director of the Jewish Federation of Volusia and Flagler Counties. 

What You Need To Know

  • Gloria Max ran the Jewish Federation's food bank for Volusia for 25 years

  • Max recently died of cancer, right before her 81st birthday

  • Janice Sumner is one of a group of volunteers keeping her legacy alive

  • The group is gearing up Thanksgiving, its biggest food distribution each year 

However, those who knew her best are keeping her legacy alive.

Max ran the food bank at the Jewish Federation for the past 25 years. She passed away in September just weeks before her 81st birthday.

The loss was tough on Janice Sumner, who is working tirelessly to keep the food bank going. 

“The need is going up," Sumner said. "We are getting a lot more new people each day.”

Sumner has an army of volunteers that help her sort food for dozens of families each week, but the effort has gotten harder since losing their leader, who had been diagnosed with both ovarian and peritoneal cancer.

“Somebody of her age with that type of cancer, she shouldn't have lasted more than three years, and she fought it for six years,” Sumner said. “It was amazing.”

Even in her final weeks, Max took the food bank checkbook into the hospital with her so she could continue to write checks and keep the community fed, Sumner said.

“That was one thing that kept her going,” Sumner said. “She had to have something to do, and that was one thing that was able to keep her going and you know, I think that was one really good quality about her is that she just wouldn’t give up.”

With the help of community donations, many like Sumner are working hard to keep the food bank as successful as Max built it up to be. When it comes time to distribute the food, those who knew Max's kindness are happy to see it carry on. 

“No matter what happens in life, there are good people out there,” said Brice Hiatt, who relies on the food bank’s help. ​

Sumner is confident this is exactly what Max would have wanted. 

“I know she is up there looking down on us," Sumner said. "Us being able to keep it going, I think would make her very proud.”

The Jewish Federation is gearing up for Thanksgiving, one of its biggest food distributions of the year. Anyone willing to help with that can drop off donations at their location at 470 Andalusia Avenue in Ormond Beach. ​