Lake Cares Food Pantry

What Lake Cares Food Pantry does

Lake Cares, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit food pantry headquartered in and serving Lake County, Florida. Its core function is sourcing and distributing food to food-insecure households, with the main pantry supplemented by seven satellite distribution locations that reduce transportation friction for recipients across the county. In 2025 the organization served 74,998 individuals and 20,792 families, distributing approximately 1.3 million pounds of food - roughly 25,000 pounds per week. The operating model blends a small paid staff (three full-time and six part-time employees) with a base of more than 300 active volunteers who handle sorting, packing, and distribution.

The organization's supply chain depends on partnerships with Second Harvest Food Bank, FarmShare, and a network of local churches, schools, and community donors that contribute both food and funds. On the fundraising side, Lake Cares operates a tiered corporate and community sponsorship program with levels ranging from $2,500 (Mission) to $50,000+ (Sky is the Limit), alongside individual giving and in-kind donations. The organization reports that 94 cents of every donated dollar goes directly to programs serving those in need.

Lake Cares opened a new main facility building in 2025, a move that materially expanded its operational throughput. Leadership transitioned to Executive Director Kelsey Gonzalez in early 2022, under whom the organization professionalized its staff model and formalized its sponsorship and partner programs. There is no disclosed use of advanced technology, data analytics, or AI in operations; logistics and inventory management appear to follow traditional nonprofit food-bank practices.

Name

Lake Cares Food Pantry

Legal name

Lake Cares, Inc.

Website

https://lakecares.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lake Cares is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit food pantry operating one main facility and seven satellite locations across Lake County, Florida, serving roughly 75,000 individuals annually through food-bank partnerships, community donations, and 300+ volunteers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Pantry Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food & Nutrition Assistance Programs (BPAIAKAF), School Feeding & Social Protection Partnerships (Conditional Cash Transfers, etc.) (EDADALAL)

Keywords

• Food pantry services
• Food assistance programs
• Hunger relief services
• Nonprofit food distribution
• Community food bank

Headquarters

HQ city

Mount Dora

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring monetary donations from individuals supporting the food pantry's mission. Donors can set up monthly auto-deduct programs or make one-time gifts through the organization's secure online processing page.
2. Corporate and Foundation Partnerships: Corporate donations, foundation grants, and organizational sponsorships at various partnership levels including Sky is the Limit ($50,000+), Visionary ($20,000+), Impact ($10,000+), and Mission Partner ($2,500+).
3. Planned and Legacy Giving: Beneficiary designations in wills and bequests, life insurance, retirement plans, bank account PODs, and gifts of real estate through the Mount Dora Community Trust.
4. Designated Giving: Donors can specify where their contribution is applied within the mission, including children's feeding programs, resource advocate program, operational support, transportation, and fundraising events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Lake Cares Food Pantry provides free food distribution and hunger relief services to Lake County, Florida residents through a main pantry in Mount Dora plus seven satellite distribution sites. Core services include emergency and regular food assistance (approximately 70 pounds per family of four for three days), the Weekend Children's Feeding Program serving 229+ children, Summer Feeding Program, Holiday Feeding Program (500 families annually for Thanksgiving and Christmas), Pet Food Assistance, and additional client services such as health insurance guidance, budget workshops, and veteran advocate support.

Product overview

Lake Cares Food Pantry is a nonprofit food assistance organization providing food and related services to Lake County, Florida residents. The organization operates a main food pantry in Mount Dora plus seven satellite distribution locations. Core offerings include food distribution (providing approximately 70 pounds of food per family of four for three days), with specialized programs including Weekend Children's Feeding Program serving 229+ children, Summer Feeding Program, Holiday Feeding Program (500 families for Thanksgiving/Christmas), Emergency Food Assistance, and Pet Food Assistance. Additional client services include health insurance guidance, notary services, budget workshops, job search assistance, and veteran advocate support. The organization offers online giving through DonorPerfect and structured partnership levels for major donors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Weekend Children's Feeding Program Provides weekend meal packs with breakfast and lunch to food-insecure children during the school year to ensure nutrition when school meals are unavailable. Currently serves 229+ children each school weekend.
• Summer Feeding Program Provides nutritious meals including breakfast, lunch, fresh fruit, milk, juice, and healthy snacks to children during summer break when school-provided meals are unavailable. A $200 donation sponsors a child for the 10-week summer program.
• Holiday Feeding Program Provides complete holiday meals to families in need, distributing meals to 250 families for Thanksgiving and 250 families for Christmas dinner each year.
• Emergency Food Assistance Provides immediate food support to families and individuals facing urgent food insecurity during temporary crises or unexpected challenges, including 15+ emergency food distributions requested each week.
• Pet Food Assistance Provides pet food donations to clients in need, accepting dog and cat food donations to ensure pets receive nourishment alongside their families.
• Main Food Pantry Distribution Core food distribution service at the main Mount Dora location at 4500 N. Highway 19A, providing approximately 70 pounds of food per family of four for three days. Open Tuesday and Wednesday mornings/afternoons by appointment (call 352-383-0100).
• Additional Client Services Supplementary client services including health insurance enrollment guidance through Covering Florida (877-813-9115), notary services, budget workshops, job search assistance, cooking demonstrations, gardening workshops, Medicare enrollment guidance, and veteran advocate support.
• Satellite Distribution Network Network of seven satellite food distribution locations throughout Lake County including Martin Luther King Center (Mount Dora), Orange Ave. Church of Christ (Eustis), Faith Christian Fellowship Church (Tavares), Howey Community Church, Spring Creek Charter School (Paisley), North Lake Chapel Church (Lisbon), and Grace City Church (Sorrento), each operating on a set monthly schedule.
• Partnership Giving Programs Structured giving tiers including Sky is the Limit Partner ($50,000+), Visionary Partner ($20,000+), Impact Partner ($10,000+), Mission Partner ($2,500+), and Planned/Legacy Giving through wills, trusts, life insurance, and beneficiary designations.

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Second Harvest Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecond Harvest Food Bank primarily acts as the storehouse for millions of pounds of food and other products distributed to Central Florida food pantries. They provide guidance and food sourcing support to Lake Cares.
• FarmSharecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFarmShare provides food sourcing support and guidance to Lake Cares for distribution to Lake County residents in need.
• Forward Paths FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership provides food assistance twice monthly to 50 foster youth through the Lake Cares distribution network.
• Habitat for HumanityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLake Cares fills the pantry and refrigerator of new Habitat for Humanity homeowners with food supplies upon move-in.
• Mount Dora Community TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Mount Dora Community Trust assists donors with legacy giving arrangements and ensures donors' wishes are honored for the Lake Cares Community Fund.
• Covering FloridaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth insurance enrollment assistance provided to Lake Cares clients through Covering Florida (877-813-9115).

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Meals on Wheels of America: National nonprofit addressing food insecurity and social isolation among seniors through meal delivery. Operates in the same hunger-relief space with a different delivery model (home delivery to seniors vs. pantry distribution).
• Feeding America: National hunger-relief organization with a network of 200+ food banks. Lake Cares is indirectly affiliated via Second Harvest; Feeding America represents the broad incumbent in the same industry that Lake Cares operates within.
• No Kid Hungry: National campaign ending childhood hunger through school and community meal programs. Comparable mission component (children's feeding) and donor base; operates as a grantmaking/awareness organization rather than direct distributor.

Direct peers

• Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida: Regional food bank serving Central Florida including Lake County. Direct partner and primary food sourcing pipeline for Lake Cares; comparable mission of alleviating hunger through food distribution and partner pantry network.
• Forward Paths Foundation: Florida-based nonprofit supporting foster youth. Active partner with Lake Cares providing food assistance to 50 foster youth twice monthly; shares overlap in serving vulnerable Florida populations.
• FarmShare: Florida-based food bank sourcing and distributing food to communities in need. Direct food sourcing partner to Lake Cares; operates a comparable community food distribution model across Florida.

Regional players

• Food Bank of the Rockies: Regional food bank serving Colorado/Wyoming with comparable pantry-distribution model. Strong structural peer—hub-and-spoke food sourcing and distribution—but serves a different geography.
• Habitat for Humanity Lake County: Lake County affiliate of Habitat for Humanity providing housing assistance. Active partnership with Lake Cares (filling pantries for new homeowners); shares the same geographic service area and community support base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LakeCaresPantry
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCVLqDJDkAkTtJl2bnycqnBg
• Facebookfacebook.com/LakeCaresFoodPantry
• Instagraminstagram.com/lakecares
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lake-cares-food-pantry

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles30 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lake Cares Food Pantry