TAMPA, Fla. -- Feeding Tampa Bay is the largest hunger relief organization in the area.
They provide an average of four to five million meals a month and they say that number could double depending on what Dorian does.
Boxes on top of crates on top of shelves, stacked as high as the ceiling, from water, to canned goods, to pet food, their 80,000 square-foot warehouse is packed with supplies and they are waiting to find out where to take them.
“We make sure that the community is prepared for food during and after a storm,” said President and CEO Thomas Mantz.
Feeding Tampa Bay provides supplies for an average of 650,000 people across 10 counties on a regular basis, but when a hurricane is coming their services expand to everyone.
“Remember that most people only have about $500 to $600 in savings and any sort of event where they have to go into shelters, where their homes are damaged, puts them at significant jeopardy,” said Mantz.
Before they start passing out mac and cheese or soup they reach for something called MREs or Meals Ready to Eat. These packages can be found throughout this facility. No heating up or water required, just tear open the bag and eat.
On Monday, the warehouse will be filled with volunteers and loading trucks, making sure these resources get to where they need to be.
“We have 25 trucks that are ready to go to parts of our 10 counties and we also coordinate with the state so if there is an incident on the east side of the state we are prepared to assist with that,” said Mantz.
For more information on locations where you can receive supplies during the hurricane go to feedingtampabay.org.
