ORMOND BEACH, Fla. — One mom is tackling childhood hunger head-on in Volusia County.

It’s a journey that led her from helping just three children to more than 500 a week. 

Inside her Ormond Beach warehouse, Provision Pack founder Carrie Torres is on a mission to end childhood hunger — one double-knotted bag of groceries at a time. 

“We have pasta sauce and then we have pasta, which we really love this week because we always try to give some sort of a meal where the family can gather together,” Torres said. 

Every week, Torres and a group of volunteers pack up bags for children who might otherwise go hungry over the weekend. The 5-pound bags are then delivered to different schools, where teachers discreetly give them to selected children to avoid any stigma.

It’s an idea she came up with after seeing the effects of hunger firsthand while volunteering at a school party. 

“The teacher said, ‘Make sure these two kids get whatever they want because as they go into the weekend it was probably going to be one of the only meals they’ll have,’" Torres said. “And I can’t even retell the story without — it was a kick in the stomach, and it was the day my life changed.”

That's when Provision Packs was born. Now, six years later, what started as helping three children has now grown exponentially, and the need continues to grow every day. 

"To date, we are at over 45,000 meals distributed this school year so far," Torres said. 

While it’s a challenge to make sure each child gets what they need, it’s one she faces head-on, side by side with her community. 

“Sometimes you have to be the change in the world that you want to see, and everybody here is part of that,” Torres said. 

She uses donations to purchase the food each week from the Second Harvest Food Bank. By using purchased food over donated food, she aims to give children and their families a feeling of normalcy and consistency. 

“I hope that one day I go out of business,” Torres said. “I hope that I have to find my next act in life because childhood hunger, or hunger in general, doesn't exist anymore.” 

Children who get a signed permission slip from a parent and qualify for free or reduced lunch at one of the 10 schools Provision Pack works with can be part of the program.

Donations to Provision Packs can be made on its website.