More capacity for a growing need
Feeding America Tampa Bay continues to grow in order to meet an ever-growing demand for food assistance. In May 2009, the Food Bank made a big move to a bigger Tampa warehouse, adding 10,000 square feet of warehouse space (now totaling 50,000 square feet). In addition to more storage capacity, there are more bay doors for faster loading and unloading and the building is newer, safer and more secure.
Food donations that come to the Food Bank through food drive collections or from supermarkets requires manual sorting, made possible by thousands of volunteers helping out year ‘round. In mid-2010, we enclosed our sorting room and piped in air-conditioning to make the job comfortable for them. A 50° ‘cool room’ was added too, to store donations that don’t require refrigeration but are susceptible to Florida’s extreme summer weather.
Also mid-year 2010, Feeding America Tampa Bay expanded with a 13,750 square foot branch warehouse in Clearwater to distribute more food to Pinellas County’s needy residents. The Pinellas Branch facility, located at 4711 126th Avenue in the Leslie A. Rubin Business Center in Clearwater, puts locally donated foods (most of it from Pinellas supermarkets) to use in the community with less time, travel and expense. Charities feeding the hungry in Pinellas and wishing to utilize our branch warehouse to assist their mission are encouraged to contact Joe Nolasco, 727.258.4940. He can help you in apply to become an agency partner of Feeding America Tampa Bay.
Feeding America Tampa Bay Suncoast Branch is located at 5829 Lake Ehren Cutoff in Land O’ Lakes. The 14,000 square foot warehouse serves the northern counties of the food bank’s service area: Pasco , Hernando, Citrus and Sumter. Suncoast Branch Manager, Kathy Mullen, can be reached at 813-929-0200. Inquires can also be submitted to info@suncoastharvest.org
We're proud of our three facilities, and invite you anytime for a tour. Just call ahead to anyone on our staff to arrange a time.