Feeding Tampa Bay closing Busch Blvd. Trinity Café, shifting focus to other locations

Trinity Café Busch Blvd. location closing

Feeding Tampa Bay is closing one of its three Trinity Café locations. The organization says it’s part of an effort to focus on new opportunities at its other sites.

TAMPA, Fla. - Friday marks the last day of normal service at Trinity Café on Busch Blvd.

For the last eight years, 30,498 volunteers served free meals to hungry Bay Area residents at the café, which is one of Feeding Tampa Bay’s (FTB) programs.

"We’ll be closing our service at this location with a new vision in mind," FTB empowerment manager Mark Kitchen said in a video posted to Facebook. "The time has come to approach services differently: A service model that allows long-term solutions and a financial stability that every individual and family deserves."

"FTB will be shifting away from a physical location in the Busch area," FTB CEO Thomas Mantz added in a statement to FOX 13 Monday. "We know change is hard. Our team has been communicating and counseling with neighbors to make sure they are aware of the change and where options are available in the area."

Last July, Trinity Cafe on Busch Blvd. fed a record number of people during its one-hour lunch service.

Operations at this location will continue as normal through Friday of this week. From Sept. 9-20, cars, pedestrians, and bicyclists can pick up to-go meals only, which will be offered at the location Monday through Friday.

"Moving forward, our focus will be investing into locations that provide meals alongside of resources, partners, and benefits," Kitchen said. "We want to make sure that our neighbors have expanded pathways that pave the way to sustainable change in their lives."

Feeding Tampa Bay said there will be staff onsite at Busch Blvd. every Friday until Sept. 20 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to help connect residents with meal site alternatives.

"We make this change only with confidence that the needs of the community will still be met," Kitchen said. "There are multiple hot meal sites within walking distance of our Trinity Café Busch Blvd. location sponsored by many of our partners."

There are two other Trinity Café locations – one on Nebraska Ave. in Tampa and the other at Feeding Pinellas in St. Petersburg – which will remain open.

Earlier this year, Feeding Tampa Bay opened its new hub on Causeway Blvd. in Tampa. It’s expected to include a new quick service restaurant called The Bistro, which is a concept of Trinity Cafe.

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