NewsHillsborough County

Actions

Volunteers needed to help deliver Thanksgiving meals around Tampa Bay area

Meals-on-Wheels-Tampa-WFTS.jpg
Posted at 4:44 PM, Nov 10, 2021
and last updated 2021-11-10 17:18:29-05

TAMPA, Fla. — A simple note last year let those involved with Holidays on Wheels really know what the program means.

“There was one lady, a grandmother of three young children, who sent me an email after she received her Thanksgiving delivery telling us without us they wouldn’t have had anything to eat that day. And that really struck deep in my heart and soul," said Lauren Vance, Director of Communications for the Tampa Bay Network to End Hunger.

Meals on Wheels for Kids makes sure families who can’t make it to Metropolitan Ministries Holiday Tent still get what they need to have a happy Thanksgiving.

“They have difficulty getting out of their house. Maybe they are disabled or recently injured. So it is difficult for them to drive, to get to the store to get food. And or they do not have a working vehicle. So for so many, this does mean the world to them, especially around the holidays," said Vance.

But to reach the 2000 families around the Tampa Bay area, the program needs volunteers.

They are still looking for 75 more drivers.

Volunteers use their own cars, but each delivery route takes less than an hour.

“We are trying to bring joy to them this holiday season and make sure that everybody can have a lovely dinner with their families this season," said Vance.

For information on how you can volunteer for Meals on Wheels for Kids, click here.