Feeding Tampa Bay's huge new warehouse means nonprofit needs more volunteers

Feeding Tampa Bay needs more volunteers

With a new, larger warehouse comes a greater opportunity for Feeding Tampa Bay to help the community. However, it’s also leading to a need for more volunteers.

TAMPA, Fla. - Feeding Tampa Bay has a new home, a huge new warehouse, so they can help feed even more families. But more space means they need more volunteers.

Karen Leonardo started volunteering at Feeding Tampa Bay when COVID hit in 2020. Their mission is to feed hungry families.

"I was looking for something to do with my time and give back to the community at the same time, so I decided to try this," Leonardo said. "And have been doing it ever since. Every Tuesday and Thursday."

And she's not the only one. It takes about 5,000 volunteers a month to run the operation.

READ: Free cooking class for kids in underserved Tampa community

"Nearly one million people are struggling, and they're not folks that you would think of," said Shannon Hannan Oliviero. Media Information Officer Feeding Tampa Bay. "It is your neighbor is your friend. It could even be your teacher, your bus driver."

With the new 215,000 square feet warehouse, they have the space, but need more volunteers to make the most out of their mission.

"Volunteers are the backbone of any nonprofit organization," said Oliviero. "We need over 5,000 a month to make sure that we get the food out into the community."

That's why volunteers like Leonardo are so important.