ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — One year ago this month, Feeding Tampa Bay decided to go big.
Like, real big.
Mega big.
On April 11, 2020, the nonprofit launched their incredibly successful Mega Pantries program to accommodate the exponential number of bay area families needing food assistance during the pandemic.
Since that day, Feeding Tampa Bay has hosted 371 mega pantry events and dispersed more than 14 million pounds of food.
They started with two events per week, but peaked at 10 Mega Pantries per week in October of last year.
More than 370,000 guests have been served at Mega Pantries. That's more than five times the capacity of Raymond James Stadium.
The volunteerism has been nothing short of phenomenal. More than 4,200 volunteers, including such high-energy standouts as Peter Masone and Angie Tam, are needed each month to help distribute food to the 10 local counties Feeding Tampa Bay serves.
To find out more about Feeding Tampa Bay and mega pantry locations, click here.