ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Local food assistance organizations say local families' needs in Tampa Bay haven't gone down, but luckily community members and organizations are stepping up to help out.
When known local philanthropist Bill Edwards found out thousands of kids needed food, it hit close to home. He’s the CEO of the Edwards Family Foundation, which just donated $100,000 to Meals on Wheels to feed thousands of families.
"I can’t imagine any child any family going hungry while there’s food available," he said.
Since the Duke Energy Center of Mahaffey theater is sitting empty, they decided to use the space for volunteers to pack up the food today.
And the need is great across Tampa Bay - at Tropicana field, Feeding Tampa Bay did their meal distribution, saying their meeting a demand that is far higher than before the pandemic.
"We’ve seen a 400% increase in people asking for food," Matt Spence with Feeding Tampa Bay said.
And they say that need hasn’t decreased.
"It’s really kind of bittersweet, because we know a lot of folks who have never food relief before, but it’s great to know that we can meet that," he said.
What other people are reading right now:
- Here's a list of Tampa Bay-area summer camps impacted by coronavirus concerns
- Gym owners hopeful, preparing to reopen as part of phase one
- Breaking down Gov. DeSantis' new Phase One guidance: What does it mean?
- Nursing homes can't seize stimulus checks for Medicare, FTC says
- Photos taken a year apart show potentially troubling sign in Hawaiian volcano
- Governor sparks outrage after blaming some Floridians for errors on unemployment applications
- Is something already brewing in the tropics before hurricane season?
FREE 10NEWS APP:
►Stay In the Know! Sign up now for the Brightside Blend Newsletter