Feeding Tampa Bay outlines rising local hunger, expansion at Causeway Center

Feeding Tampa Bay President and CEO Thomas Mance told the Tampa City Council on April 17 that demand for food assistance in the region remains high and that the nonprofit is expanding services from its Causeway Center to offer more meals, job training and neighborhood services.

Mance told the council that Feeding Tampa Bay serves a 10-county catchment with “about a million plus people” who are technically food insecure. He said roughly 40–47 percent of people in the region do not have enough money to cover basic household expenses and that 16 percent of children in the community still live in poverty.

The numbers, Mance said, underscore the need for both emergency food distribution and broader supports such as nutrition education and workforce programs. “Most of the people that we serve are working,” he said. “A family that we serve typically has somewhere around $600 in savings. One event typically knocks folks out of their ability to take care of themselves.”

Mance thanked the city for its investment in the Causeway Center and described the site as more than a warehouse: a neighborhood of services with training rooms, a grocery-store-style pantry, a restaurant and on-site partner services including a medical clinic. He said the center’s new model is designed to push meals and other supports into neighborhoods and to shore up partner agencies by providing refrigeration, freezers, trucks and other equipment.

On output, Mance said Feeding Tampa Bay supplied about 30 million meals in Hillsborough County alone and expected the organization to top 100 million meals delivered across its whole operation this year. He said the group supports about 102 community partners and now operates 40 pantries inside schools in Hillsborough County to respond to nights, weekends and summer hunger.

Mance also described the nonprofit’s role in disasters. He said Feeding Tampa Bay staged pre-storm supplies, operated during storms and led post-storm deliveries after significant hurricanes last fall, adding that the organization also provided meals to first responders.

Council members from several districts thanked Mance and his staff for their work. Council member Miranda introduced the item and noted the mayor and chief of staff’s involvement in the city’s investment. Council member Viera asked about continuing partnerships and called the Causeway Center “a worthy investment.” Several council members emphasized the program’s education and youth outreach components.

Mance said the organization also runs job training and economic programs — from logistics and culinary training to drivers’ training — that he estimated contributed more than $5 million into the local economy through graduate placements. He closed by saying the combination of rising costs, medical debt and other pressures make the organization’s work more vital than ever.

Council members did not take a formal vote on the presentation; the session moved on to public comment and other agenda items. Feeding Tampa Bay said it will continue to coordinate with city staff and community partners on the Causeway Center’s programming.

Ending: The council thanked Feeding Tampa Bay for the update and for its recent disaster response work. Members encouraged continued partnership between the nonprofit and city departments to expand meal distribution, school-based pantries and workforce supports.