TAMPA, Fla. — Many Florida families continue to struggle to put food on the table during the pandemic.
One nonprofit helping out is Feeding Tampa Bay. Each week the organization is handing out hundreds of thousands of pounds of free food to families in need at Mega Pantry events.
Feeding Tampa Bay added its ninth Mega Pantry location on Thursday, January 21 to help families living in the Town 'N Country neighborhood of Hillsborough County.
The new location will operate every Thursday from 3:30 to 6:00 p.m. at the Verizon Corporate Center located at 6550 W. Hillsborough Ave. in Tampa.
In just one month, organizers have more than doubled the need in the Town 'N Country area.
Feeding Tampa Bay's Chris Brewer says, "let's talk 52,000 pounds of food, I would say at least. So, we have this great 18-Wheeler that our great drivers bring.Our folks come out to help us deliver our food. But it's really most important that we're providing good nutritious food to help sustain families for several days."
Feeding Tampa Bay's Shannon Hannon-Olivero says they are, "putting out nearly 2 million meals a week, and we've been doing that solidly through the pandemic. What we need people to know is that Feeding Tampa Bay is here. We're here for the long haul. This is not a sprint. This is a marathon, it is going to take people a long time to recover the pandemic is still here and people are still struggling."
Feeding Tampa Bay currently operates Mega Pantry locations in Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Polk counties:
MONDAYS
Lakes Church
1010 E. Memorial Blvd., Lakeland
3:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Yuengling Center at USF Tampa
12499 USF Bull Run Drive, Tampa,
3:30 - 6:00 p.m.
(please enter off of USF Alumni Dr.)
TUESDAYS
Desoto Square Mall
303 301 Blvd. W., Bradenton
3:30 - 6:00 p.m.
(please enter off of 301, near the Firestone)
WEDNESDAYS
Crossover Church
1235 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa
3:30 - 6:00 p.m.
HCC Southshore Campus
551 24th St. NE, Ruskin
3:30 - 6:00 p.m.
THURSDAYS
John S. Burks Park
13220 Gene Nelson Blvd., Dade City
1:30 - 4:00 p.m.
Verizon Corporate Center
6550 W. Hillsborough Ave., Tampa
3:30 - 6:00 p.m.
SATURDAYS
HCC Dale Mabry
4001 W. Tampa Bay Blvd., Tampa
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Tropicana Field
16th Street, St. Petersburg
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
(please enter Lot 1 via 5th Ave. South)
For additional information on Feeding Tampa Bay's food assistance operations, click here.
