Introduction
Feeding Tampa Bay is a movement that seeks to put hunger to an end by uniting the community to create a healthier and more capable Tampa Bay. The organization is a necessary facility that works around the year and in times of crisis to ensure that the community and neighbors have food on their plates (Feeding Tampa Bay, n.d.). Feeding Tampa Bay uses the phrase “because food makes tomorrow possible” as its slogan to make people aware of the organization’s participation and activities(Feeding Tampa Bay, n.d.). Through volunteering in different segments of the organization, it has been able to feed many people. To make things work around the organization, they have created a calendar schedule from which a volunteer can choose the most appropriate time, and they can be able to volunteer. I volunteered at Feed Tampa Bay and got an opportunity to participate in different segments of the feeding programs, such as the Trinity Café warehouse feeding Pinellas, which allowed me to make a difference in the community.
The Feeding Tampa Bay strategic plan seeks to ensure that every person has access to nutritious, healthy food and the funds they need to fight hunger. According to Feeding Tampa Bay (n.d.), the organization’s mission is to provide more than 143 million meals a year, transforming the community’s well-being and healthy lives that rea self-sustainable. The mission of Feeding Tampa Bay goes beyond self-sustainability and providing food. The collaboration with other partners, such as the Fresh force program, gives students technical skills, knowledge, and hands-on experience in different industries, breaking the hunger cycle by acting as a workforce stepping stone.
Access to financial help can also help create long-term stability and improve employment opportunities. By leveraging every food interaction, Feeding Tampa Bay assembles resources and connects the community to long-term food stability(Feeding Tampa Bay, n.d.). The SNAP benefit outreach program by the Trinity Café, through the preparation of health meal bags for hospitals and medical clinics, assists in breaking down the barriers of cost, mobility, and healthy food choices and transportation (Feeding Tampa Bay, n.d.). The community can support the action through volunteers and donations to help the neighbors battling hunger. Volunteers can also be a good way of being part of the team and making a difference in the community by helping neighbors in need.
Feeding Tampa Bay Programs and Calendar
Tampa bay has different segments of feeding programs that run over the year with a timetable. The calendar allows volunteers to choose the best time to provide services to the organization and the community. Some of the segments that people volunteer at are our mobile pantries, the Trinity Café, feeding Pinellas, warehouse opportunities, and the mega pantry (Feeding Tampa Bay, n.d.). The different segments work in various counties with a schedule feeding timetable with varying expectations in each program segment. As a volunteer at Feeding Tampa Bay, I participated in the Trinity Café, mobile pantries, and the warehouse. The opportunity at Feeding Tampa Bay allowed me to make a difference in the community by being part of the team that seeks to help neighbors access meals, eradicate hunger, creating a healthier and more active community. What appealed to me about the organization is that they are adhering to the CDC guidelines of masking and social distancing, as well as maintaining the highest levels of health and hygiene to avoid spreading diseases.
Volunteering At the Feeding Tampa Bay Warehouse
At the warehouse, there was inspecting and sorting out the non-perishable and perishable foods for their quality and expiration dates. The food was then packed in bags and boxes to be distributed later to the neighbors who lacked food (Feeding Tampa Bay, n.d.). However, carrying heavy boxes and sorting food piece by piece was tiresome. In two hours, my team and I packed about 3,000 pounds of food, equal to almost 2,500 meals. Later that evening, I participated in the family night event. The family night is a fun-themed activity that engages people of all ages. The event involved sorting, packaging, and the donated food with different activities that families would engage in. Later, a short segment was dedicated to children between the ages of 5-10 years to learn about nutrition, food banking, leadership, and financial literacy.
At the warehouse segment of the feeding, there is a special section called the Food RX. The Food RX works with medical clinics and hospitals to care for at-risk patients by providing healthy food prescriptions (Feeding Tampa Bay, n.d.). Patients that are found to have food insecurity; are given a take-home bag of nutritious, shelf-friendly food when discharged and additional information on health resources. The Food RX facilitates home delivery to people with hunger and food selection. The people are offered a variety of off-shelf stable food, cautiously prepacked packets of health and nutrition education resources, and a schedule of kit-specific meal ideas (Feeding Tampa Bay, n.d.). The food in the packages is specifically purchased for this program. The volunteers help assemble, pack, and set up the boxes and bags and help with project breakdown. Participating in the warehouse program has helped me be part of a team that helps people affected by hunger and teaches about healthy diets and food hygiene.
Volunteering At the Feeding Tampa Bay Trinity Café
The Trinity Café is where the volunteers serve people a notorious, sit-down hot meal. The volunteers in this segment take on restaurant staff roles, including bussing, hosting, and serving the tables, and other eatery roles (Feeding Tampa Bay, n.d.). The Trinity Café allowed me to be part of a service team by engaging directly with people who need food and participating in the outdoor food distribution. We engaged in an activity in Nebraska, a lovely town with amiable and kind-hearted people. The Trinity Café allows the volunteers to learn about how to handle food and good hygiene as well as make sure that the people can get good food that is clean and nutritious. Food is usually more than just a meal on the plate; also about nutrition, hygiene, and health. Reliable access to nutritious meals enables affluent community parents to focus on their lives and maintain a healthy lifestyle for the elderly (Feeding Tampa Bay, n.d.). Being part of a dynamic group that assists the community access food and effectively eradicating hunger in the community was a great privilege in creating a hunger-free Tampa Bay.
Feeding Pinellas Empowerment Center
Feeding at Pinellas works hand in hand with the Trinity Café to provide meals to the needy people in Pinellas county. According to data in Pinellas County, people miss almost 33 million The Pinellas County feeding program seeks to end hunger by the year 2025 and identify the unique needs of people where they live through the introduction of the feeding Pinellas solution (Feeding Tampa Bay, n.d.). The Trinity Café, alongside the Feeding Tampa Bay food programs, Pinellas, seeks to drive towards a full enabling center where people will receive wrap-around services, for example, nutrition education, job training, and snap benefit support.
The Pinellas feeding center is a localized solution of Feeding Tampa Bay and serves as the heart of all the other Tampa Bay programs in the county. At the Pinellas Trinity Café, I served guests a nutritious, hot 3-course meal with dignity and respect on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. On Mondays, I assisted with meal preparations and serving guests. On the two days, Wednesdays and Fridays, I participated in resetting and bussing tables and cleaning the facility. Food hygiene is one of the vital things to be very cautious of when preparing meals. I participated in the on-site food pantry; I was able to help people through their shopping experience, restocking shelves, line management, and shopping assistance.
Conclusion
Over the volunteer period at Feeding Tampa Bay, I got an opportunity to make a difference in the community by being part of a team that fights social community problems. Food is a vital basic need because the community cannot function without it. The feeding program has provided neighbors who were affected by hunger to get healthy meals. As much as the organization provides food to the people, they also strive to give them the most nutritious meals with guidance on food hygiene and education to reduce illness brought about by unhealthy foods. Throughout my volunteering period, I was able to gather hygienic food ideas and well as an excellent healthy feeding schedule.
Reference
Feeding Tampa Bay. (n.d.). Feeding Tampa Bay – Because Food Makes Tomorrow Possible. Feeding Tampa Bay. Web.