TAMPA, Fla. — ABC Action News teamed up with DFCU Financial and Feeding Tampa Bay to help pack school food pantries across the region.
Our viewers helped pack more than 75 school food pantries and provided more than 56,000 meals for local families.
ABC Action News anchor Lauren St. Germain met with the President and CEO of Feeding Tampa Bay, Thomas Mantz. He said every donation matters, especially since the need is so great right now in our area.
“We can’t ever say anything but simply thank you we appreciate when someone gives to pack the pantries we always want them to know they are helping a friend or neighbor who is struggling,” explained Mantz. “Unfortunately, we are continuing to see an escalation of folks coming to see us. And the thing about pack the pantries, teachers are using the pantries too. It’s not just families in the community."
From talking to Feeding Tampa Bay warehouse workers to leaders in local schools, and even families, we heard about the impact this food makes.
“I do see the need. Some of them provide recipes, others say their kids just did not have until this pantry was in effect,” explained Jonathan Odermatt, a lead driver with Feeding Tampa Bay.
“It’s hard getting help for anybody – parents don’t have it, and that’s the main thing that has touched me. Some parents come here like, thank god because I don’t have it,” said Coach T at IDEA Victory.
“I was a little bit prideful whether I grabbed the help or didn’t grab the help, but I decided to be humble. I was like, you know what? I need the help. I need to feed my kids,” explained Marlene Nieves of Temple Terrace.
Many families in the area will now know where their next meal is coming from. And this all helps Feeding Tampa Bay’s mission of being a hunger-free region by 2025.
“The other thing that is really important to us, Lauren, about pack the pantries is you all have helped us tell the story of the community, and that has helped us do this,” said Mantz.
Feeding Tampa Bay is currently building its new community center. ABC Action News is the first to capture the progress construction crews have made so far.
This new space is so much more than a warehouse. There will be a kitchen, training rooms, classrooms, a restaurant, and a grocery area. Mantz said the new facility is so big they will be able to keep more food and help more families.
“So, as you can see, there is a really big warehouse. This will allow us to double the amount of food we can put in the community, and more importantly, with freezer space, it will be fresh and healthy food that families need. The other half of the area will allow us to expand services,” explained Mantz.
Feeding Tampa Bay plans to open the new center in February of 2024.
