Bay Area families recovering from hurricanes get holiday meals help from Feeding Tampa Bay

TAMPA, Fla. - The holiday season may be here, but it won’t be a normal one for the families rebuilding their homes and lives while making sure they have food on the table.

It can get expensive to buy what you need for a holiday meal, and non-profits, like Feeding Tampa Bay, are helping to lighten the load as many families feel pressure in their wallets from the storms.

"My family shares a similar situation to a lot of people across Tampa Bay with these past couple of hurricanes we’ve experienced, as well as just economic hardships that came with the economy we’ve dealt with for the past couple of years," said Julian Gary, a Hillsborough County resident who shopped at Feeding Bay’s community market for his relatives. "Fruit and vegetables, they have an array of different options. I like the sweet potatoes a lot."

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On Wednesday, Feeding Tampa Bay helped families still feeling impacts from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, sharing what they usually see after a storm.

"[We typically see] 35 to 40 percent increase in need after storms, new people coming to us. It’s been closer to 50 percent," said Thomas Mantz, the president and CEO of Feeding Tampa Bay.

Global non-profit CARE USA was also there on Wednesday to hand out emergency cash through gift cards, totaling about $86,000.

"It allows families to basically choose what they need most and purchase things that are most important for their unique needs, especially if you’re a mother, a family with children buying things like food for your kids, formula," said Bianca Oviedo, the program manager of U.S. programs at CARE USA.

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The services are nourishing people where they’ll feel it most, especially with the holiday season already here.

"I’ve heard that they’re able to buy transportation, buy gas, see their families for Christmas, purchase food, purchase basic household items," said Oviedo.

Many families lost food in the storms, and for some that’s not easy to replace.

"We’re very aware that through a holiday season the pressure on a family’s budget. The things that they want and need for the holidays is much greater," said Mantz.

So, the market aisles and what fills them are giving people like Gary something else to be thankful for this season.

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"The fact that we even have health to still be alive, we are here and get to gather together over a meal is phenomenal never want to take those things for granted. Feeding Tampa Bay plays a huge role," said Gary.

Feeding Tampa Bay representatives said they’ve provided 15 million meals since Helene. They also had FEMA officials there Wednesday to help answer any questions from families impacted by the storms.

Feeding Tampa Bay will hold a holiday meal distribution on Monday, November 25, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at its offices located at 3624 Causeway Boulevard in Tampa.

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