HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Martha Diaz believes she’s on a mission from God, and that’s why it’s especially upsetting to know the mission may soon end.
“This is not only a dream. This is a work of love,” she said, her voice trembling through tears. “I will feel that I let everybody down. I would feel like I couldn’t make it happen.”
The mission? Each and every Wednesday she feeds and clothes nearly 150 families through her food pantry in Valrico, The Three B’s Ministry.
Volunteers and generosity make it possible, but Martha is the driving force.
To understand her mission, it’s important to know her past.
“It was very hard,” she said bluntly.
Born in the Dominican Republic, she grew up in Puerto Rico. She moved to Florida with her five year old daughter in 2010.
She couldn't find a job at first, despite her advanced degrees. She ultimately became homeless and sheltered in cheap motels and her beater SUV.
“I was very nervous. I was very scared,” she remembered. “I have a friend in Puerto Rico. She is my best friend, and I was calling her crying all the time, and she said, ‘Why don’t you come back? You know, come back. I’m here for you.’ And I said, ‘No, I don’t want to go back. I need to be here. Something is telling me that there’s a purpose for me in this place.’”
When her life stabilized, she became the help she wished she had when she moved to Florida.
What started as a meal train for a sick friend during the COVID-19 pandemic transformed into feeding the homeless regularly, and then starting a food pantry out of her garage.
“I still have in my house like 13 freezers and fridges, okay?” she laughed. “So it was to the point where I cannot do this from my garage anymore.”
She founded The Three B’s Ministry and moved her pantry to a church in Valrico, where it’s served dozens of families each week ever since.
“And we went from 20-30 families to around 120-140 families every week,” she said. “It’s nothing but God. I cannot take any credit for this. I’m just doing what He wants me to do.”
But now there’s a problem. The church that currently houses the pantry is redeveloping, and Martha has until June 1 to find a new space. If she can’t, she might be forced to suspend her pantry’s operations.
Jeanie Helmick, who is now a volunteer with Three B’s, is one of the many who’ve been helped by the pantry over the years.
Her help came after her husband was diagnosed with kidney disease.
“I quit my job to take care of him, and money’s tight because we only get his disability,” Helmick said.
She can’t imagine what losing the pantry would mean.
“It’s not good. It’s — I need it. People need it,” she said through tears. “If you have a place and you’re not using it, we would gladly use it and put it to really good use.”
According to Martha, the pantry needs a space that’s about 1,500 sq. ft. They need access to a bathroom and a sink with running water.
They would also like that space to be in the Brandon/Valrico area, but they would consider others nearby.
If you’re in a position where you may be able to help, you can reach Martha directly at 813-624-1119.
