KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Jeremy Lanier's antique shop is now filled with canned goods.

  • Kissimmee businesses collecting food for food pantry
  • Osceola Council on Aging's food pantry serves all kinds of people
  • Businesses serving as drop-off sites for canned goods, food

"It's neighbor helping neighbor. It's your fellow man helping you when you need it the most," said Lanier, who owns Lanier's Historic Downtown Marketplace in Kissimmee. "And it's something we should all aspire to do."

Items collected will go to the Osceola Council on Aging. The Council doesn't just help with senior care, it also has a food pantry that serves all kinds of people -- a pantry that has seen empty shelves lately.

"These people have been coming to us asking for food. And we feel terrible when we don't have enough food or something to give them," said Wilda Belisle, the nutrition director for the Osceola Council on Aging. "And that's when we said, 'That is not acceptable. We have to do something about it.' "

This is why downtown Kissimmee business owners are now making headway against hunger, collecting goods for the Council at their own stores. 

"We have an amazing group of merchants who are engrained and vested in this community," said Diana Marrero-Pinto, the executive director of Kissimmee Main Street. "This is just part of what they do."

As an incentive, a number of shops have come together to create a raffle prize. Every item donated serves as a ticket; the winner can get up to $250 in gift certificates that can be used at local downtown merchants.

"This isn't a battle that's won in one day or one month or even a year," Lanier added. "It's something that we would like to continue to maintain, especially for the holidays and hurricane season."

These are the downtown Kissimmee businesses acting as drop-off locations for the Osceola Council on Aging food pantry:

  • Lanier's Historic Downtown Marketplace, 108 Broadway, Kissimmee, 34741
  • 3 Sisters Speakeasy, 226 Broadway, Kissimmee, 34741
  • Kissimmee Diner, 120 Broadway Suite 103, Kissimmee, 34741