ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Some children rely on the help of food banks over the summer to help keep their bellies full while out of school.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida helped ensure children at community centers, neighborhoods and summer camps across the area were fed over the summer. Volunteers inside the food bank, including 16-year-old high school student Natalia Still, packed food items so children could get a full meal. Still has volunteered nearly every day this summer, totaling more than 100 hours.


What You Need To Know

  • Natalia Still volunteered more than 100 hours at Second Harvest Food Bank this summer

  • The 16-year-old said it feels good to know she didn't waste her summer

  • She encourages people she knows to volunteer their time, too

  • More Everyday Heroes

"It is a good feeling to know that I haven't been spending my summer at home watching TV, doing nothing all day," Still said. "I've actually been doing something productive with my time."

Her mother motivated her to start volunteering at a very young age.

"I did a little bit when I was in elementary and middle school 'cause my mom is really big on giving back," Still said. "Then COVID hit, you can't really do anything during a pandemic."

When the opportunities returned, she picked up where she left off, and the workload certainly hasn't eased as the summer days go by.

"Once this is finished, pack it up, set up more, do the whole thing over again," Still added. "Somedays, we finish, like, all of the work in like a three-hour shift."

Knowing that children aren't going hungry thanks to her efforts and those of other volunteers brings a smile to Still's face.

"If, like, one kid, if I know that only one is going to go home not hungry, I know that I'm doing a good job," Still said.

She said others around her are getting involved, too.

"It's a good feeling knowing I'm getting other people that I know into this as well," Still said.

An important lesson Still has learned this summer is, "Give back 'cause you'll never know if you'll be in a situation yourself one day," she said. "You might depend on the kindness of others."

Summer is over, but it doesn't mean the volunteering will end soon for this Everyday Hero.