USF Bulls partner with Feeding Tampa Bay for pre-game donation drive

TAMPA, Fla. - Before USF fans packed Raymond James stadium to watch the Bulls take on the UAB Blazers on Saturday, they packed bins with hundreds of non-perishable food items for a donation drive hosted by the athletics department and Feeding Tampa Bay.

"We're just ready to focus on the efforts of how we can help the community and serve our fans in the best way possible," said VP of USF Athletics, Michael Kelly. "Really, partnerships like this with Feeding Tampa Bay is a great way to start."

It's also one of the many ways Feeding Tampa is working to provide meals and resources across an area still reeling from the devastation caused by two hurricanes in less than one month.

"I think, you know, our greatest concern and fear is the moment that someone is without resources, they start to get even more scared. The pressure on their family becomes even greater," stressed Thomas Mantz, President & CEO of Feeding Tampa Bay.

READ: 'Teach our kids to serve alongside us': Kids pitch in to support Hurricane Milton victims

Mantz told FOX 13 his team has been feeding double the amount of people they normally do.

"On a normal day, we deliver about 200,000 meals into the community. Over the past 14 days, we've been delivering about 400,000 meals a day into the community because we want to make sure first and foremost that people can sit down, have a meal and make sure they're nourished, and they're okay," added Mantz.

As they work to bring hope, relief, and good meals to people in 10 counties across West Central Florida, they've executed a number of ways to do so.

"We've used DoorDash and other delivery services to make sure that meals are delivered into homes that we can't get trucks to," Mantz added. "We've had mass distributions that we've had thousands of families show up at just to get resources. So everywhere in our service territory, there's a different answer to the challenge that's presented."

For more information on food resources and volunteer opportunities with Feeding Tampa Bay, click here.

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