ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — More Orange County Public Schools students and their families could get help putting healthy food on the table through a $400,000 grant awarded to the Foundation for OCPS.
The foundation announced Tuesday, Nov. 3, that it received the funding from the Florida Blue Foundation to strengthen school-based food pantries in low-income communities and expand access to nutritious food.
The initiative will support pantry infrastructure and capacity, helping schools serve as a resource for families facing food insecurity.
“No student should have to worry about where their next meal will come from,” said Debi Pedraza, executive director of the Foundation for OCPS.
What the grant means for local families
The funding will support the foundation’s Food Pantry Capacity and Access Expansion Initiative, which focuses on strengthening food assistance through schools families already know.
The foundation said the investment will help school-based pantries respond to families’ needs while addressing challenges outside the classroom that can affect students’ readiness to learn and participate.
The announcement did not identify which schools will receive support, how many families the initiative is expected to reach or when the expanded services will become available.
Part of a statewide investment
The Foundation for OCPS is one of eight nonprofit organizations included in the Florida Blue Foundation’s September announcement of $3.1 million in grants for community-based food initiatives across Florida.
The grants focus on food insecurity and its connection to health.
“Hunger and chronic disease are deeply connected, and we know when we invest in food access, we invest in health,” said Susan Towler, vice president, corporate social responsibility and Florida Blue Foundation. “We’re partnering with organizations across Florida to break the cycle, ensuring that access to healthy food becomes a foundation for better health outcomes.”
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2026 Cox Media Group
