DOVER, Fla. — Before Kim Ramey ran the mobile food pantry for Feeding Tampa Bay, she was a struggling single mom who needed help feeding her son.
“It almost makes me cry thinking about where I was, and where I am now,” Ramey says. “I now get the honor and privilege of serving my neighbors.”
On a gorgeous day in Dover — albeit one tinged with the same nerves gripping the entire world — Ramey orchestrated a mobile food pantry that now must operate in the days of social distancing.
This is a “drive-thru” food pantry.
Hundreds of cars pop their trunks while Ramey and her small but mighty Feeding Tampa Bay staff fill them up with fresh produce, meats and breads.
“She’s amazing,” one patron says, smiling and pointing at Ramey.
RELATED: Feeding Tampa Bay, USF join forces to fight food insecurity and hunger in ten counties
Indeed, she’s a force of nature.
On this day alone Ramey will make sure 2,500 pounds of food go to families who need it most.
"Hunger doesn't stop during hard times, and neither do we." Our team of 18 drivers travel our 10 county service territory every day to deliver food to families who need it most. They are the unsung heroes of our cause. pic.twitter.com/0J4jW6lGuF
— Feeding Tampa Bay (@FeedingTampaBay) March 24, 2020
Feeding Tampa Bay certainly loves her.
They hired Ramey to run this critical division after she graduated from Freshforce, turning her life around through the nonprofit’s on-site job-training program. Ramey has had run-ins with the law before joining their team, including a felony arrest in 2019.
“This isn’t just about serving them food,” says Ramey. “It’s serving these people hope, especially during these times we’re going through.”
To see a list of future locations for Feeding Tampa Bay’s mobile food pantry, visit feedingtampabay.org/mobile-pantries/.
Anyone able to donate to Feeding Tampa Bay can learn how they can help out by clicking here.
