Metropolitan Ministries’ Holiday Tent preparing for influx of families impacted by hurricanes

TAMPA, Fla. - This year, the need for holiday meals for families in need is greater than usual because of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Despite the setbacks for some, Metropolitan Ministries said their annual Holiday Tent will be ready and prepared for the influx of families. 

Metro Ministries said they too have had setbacks getting their Holiday Tent ready because of the hurricanes, but despite this, they have been working around the clock to get ready.

The Holiday Tent is a chance to provide all the food that's needed for a traditional holiday meal every year around Thanksgiving and Christmas for families who don't have the financial means to do so.

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"A lot of times we hear 'if it wasn't for Metropolitan Ministries, my family wouldn't have had a Thanksgiving meal this year' or 'we wouldn't have had a Christmas meal' or 'my children wouldn't have been able to get toys,'" said Brensey Thompson-Hurst, the director of marketing and communications for Metropolitan Ministries. "We hear those heart-wrenching stories every year about people who really rely on this assistance."

But getting ready this year has been a major feat. Hurricanes Helene and Milton initially put the Metro Ministries team about two weeks behind. 

"We immediately went into emergency mode, response mode to help the community when the hurricanes hit, so we kind of had to put a pause on getting our holiday operations open," Thompson-Hurst said. "You'll see, even now after hours, we have staff here who are still working around the clock."

It meant having to take down the vinyl on the massive tent on Rome Avenue while the storm moved through. Because of the hurricanes, they're also expecting about 3,000 more families on top of the 32,000 they're used to serving every year.

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It's why Brensey Thompson-Hurst said she's hoping anyone who can donate does their part to help.

"We know that struggling families struggle all throughout the year, so being able to provide just a little bit of hope during the holidays means a lot to our staff, means a lot to the volunteers, and we know means a lot to the people that we serve," Thompson-Hurst said.

Metro Ministries said they will be ready to serve families beginning Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the Holiday Tent located at 2609 North Rome Avenue in Tampa. Because of the hurricanes, they're also short of about 1,000 of their typical 16,000 volunteers, so they're reminding people it may take a little bit longer than usual to get their food.

The donation lane is also open on Tuesday for drop-offs. For families in need interested in food distribution, they must first pre-register online.

You can click here to make a virtual donation.

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