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Bay Area nonprofit expands to help feed thousands of families

By and Bryan Gray
Published  March 4, 2025 3:57pm EST
What's Right with Tampa Bay
FOX 13 News

Trying to break the cycle of poverty in Tampa Bay

In What’s Right with Tampa Bay, FOX 13’s Mark Wilson highlights the United Food Bank and Services, which provides food and educational opportunities to thousands of families each month to help break the cycle of poverty.

The Brief

    • The United Food Bank and Services provides food to thousands of families each month.
    • The organization now operates out of a new 15,000-square-foot building in east Hillsborough County.
    • Educational opportunities and job skills training are also offered in an effort to help break the cycle of poverty.

PLANT CITY, Fla. - Every day, staff and volunteers at the United Food Bank and Services work tirelessly to provide food to families struggling to make ends meet.

By the numbers:

"We went from serving around 5000 people in a month to over 15,000 people a month," said Mary Heysek, President and CEO of United Food Bank and Services. "This past year, we distributed 4.3 million pounds of food, up from 2.5 million the previous year."

The United Food Bank and Services provides food to thousands of families each month.

To keep up with demand, the organization just got a new 15,000-square-foot building in east Hillsborough County.

What they're saying:

"It allows us to not have to turn away donations," said Heysek. "It allows us to be able to serve more healthy food, lots of fresh produce and healthy items for families and children."

Through both on-site daily food distribution and outreach efforts in at-risk neighborhoods, the organization ensures that no one in the community goes hungry.

"Food prices are up over 25% over the last couple of years, and they haven't stabilized and come back down. Wages are still stagnant and haven't come back up," Heysek explained.

Thanks to generous donations, families in need receive a box of food every two weeks. These boxes contain fresh produce, meats, dairy, grains, and even baked goods and coffee – essentials that help put nutritious meals on the table.

"Very proud. It feels good to be able to help our community and to see families that are thriving because of this business that we have," Heysek said.

The United Food Bank and Services provides food to thousands of families each month.

The food bank’s vision goes beyond just providing meals. It aims to uplift the community, offering educational opportunities and job skills training to help people break the cycle of poverty.

What you can do:

If you’d like to support their mission, whether through donations or volunteering, you can find more information by clicking here.

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