ORLANDO, Fla. — One in five kids will go to bed hungry in Central Florida each night, which is fire one Orlando firefighter is stepping up.

  • Locals can drop off non-perishable food to any OFD station
  • Initiative began with Orlando Fire's Lt. Geoff Corah
  • Corah placed red bins at all 17 stations to collect food for families

At Orlando Fire Station 1, the red flashing alarm pushes firefighters to move fast.

It’s the first day of summer, and a different kind of call is coming in in black and white.

“Hello Orlando Firefighters, I wanted to reach out again,” reads Lt. Geoff Corah with Orlando Fire.

For seventeen years, Corah has gone out on those calls ready to help people on the “bad” day.

“I think that is when we see them the most, because if they are calling 911, then it’s their worst day,” he said, as another alarm sounds throughout the fire station.

 

 

Another alarm means another person in need. Every time these firefighters go out, they see the other needs they and paramedics can’t fix for people.

“Yeah, I mean we go into their homes and you get a sense of how they are doing, physically, emotionally, financially,” Corah said.

He decided in April to write a letter to his bosses to see if he and his fellow firefighters could help families with groceries.

“I would like to start a food and clothing drive to assist those that may be in need,” read Corah.

Corah placed red bins at all 17 fire stations in Orlando — the goal is to collect food for families who need it.

“The reaction so far has been super positive. I can’t say the collections have been super positive, but we will get there,” Corah said.

Now, anyone in Orlando can drop of non-perishable food at any of the fire stations.

“I am going to put it in the back of my truck, and I am going to take it down there,” said Lt. Corah about what he will do when the bins fill up.

All of the donations will go to the Second Harvest Food Bank.

“It’s just something that needed to be done,” said Lt. Corah.

On top of bringing non-perishables to any Orlando Fire station, if you see Orlando firefighters in any grocery store, you can also give them food donations to be added to the bins.