Feeding Tampa Bay reports nearly 17 million meals served in region last year; outlines job training and school pantry work in St. Petersburg

Feeding Tampa Bay, the regional food-relief organization, told St. Petersburg council it provided roughly 16–17 million meals across its 10-county service area last year and outlined local programs that include 17 school pantries in Pinellas County, partnerships with health clinics and a job-training program.

Thomas Mance, CEO of Feeding Tampa Bay, said the organization serves a broad cross-section of residents, including employed people who nonetheless struggle to afford essentials. He told the council the organization is both an emergency-response partner in disasters and a long-term capacity-builder: "We provided about 16, almost 17,000,000 meals last year into the community," Mance said.

Local programming: Mance described 17 pantries housed inside schools in Pinellas County that let parents pick up food while visiting the school, and said Feeding Tampa Bay places food resources in health clinics such as Bay Pines and provides a job-training program that yields commercial benefits; he said the local program has produced roughly $5.4 million in economic value.

Disaster response and partnerships: Mance said Feeding Tampa Bay handled much of the on-the-ground food distribution during and after the storms, helped stand up mass distributions at Tropicana Field, and has grants to expand refrigeration, transportation and housing-repair-related relief across the region. He said the organization is also exploring brick-and-mortar ‘‘free market’’ models and has a bricks-and-mortar operation in Lealman the county area that could be a model for further expansion.

Council response: Councilmembers thanked the organization for its rapid response during recent storms and for ongoing partnership. Vice Chair Hanowitz singled out staffer Lorena Rivas Hardwick for praise and asked for continued coordination with city disaster outreach. Members pressed about where pantries are located and asked for lists so council could coordinate neighborhood-level outreach and identify partnership opportunities with housing authorities and recreation centers.

Ending: Mance said Feeding Tampa Bay will continue to seek partnerships and grants to expand capacity; the organization provided the council printed annual reports and invited further coordination with city departments.