TAMPA, Fla. (WFTS) — This holiday season, Metropolitan Ministries plans to feed more than 37,000 families in need.
Many of those families showed up to El Bethel Church in Tampa Friday to pick up food and toys.
That line included Keisha Jackson.
"It's been kind of difficult because, you know, jobs and everything like that and being in you know, the career that I'm in, it's kind of hard to, like, keep everything afloat. But for the most part, you know, it's kind of it's good that there's places like this to help out, especially during hard times, you know, during the holiday, so I'm very grateful," said Jackson.
Sophia Gordon, First Lady of El Bethel, says drives follow the tenants of the church.
"Our mission is to connect people to God. Reach the world, certainly, to serve our community. That's a big part of our mission here at IBFO. Church. And so this speaks wholeheartedly to what we're trying to do," she said.
Gordon says it's especially important for people who live nearby.
"The community that we live in, there are a lot of people that are here that are always, you know, in need of food, of shelter of just different things," she added.
It's not just El Bethel's neighborhood seeing a huge need this holiday season.
Metropolitan Ministries added an additional drive to serve 1,000 extra people.
Metropolitan Ministries Director of Community Outreach Erin Dinsmore says that's where you come in.
"With that high need, we need extra donations. So we need at least 20,000 more toys to serve our families. We need turkeys; we need hams; we need candy yams," she said.
This year, the team plans to feed more than 20,000 families for Christmas, like Keisha Jackson's.
"I come every year, so this is another good blessing. So people, if you guys need help, just come to Metropolitan," said Jackson.
For more information on how to donate to Metropolitan Ministries, you can find it here.
