TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Members of the 8 On Your Side news team and staff helped distribute 21,5000 pounds of food for Feeding Tampa Bay, which will go directly to people in need in the Bay area.

Every year, employees of WFLA’s parent company, Nexstar Media Group, volunteer in cities across the country for the annual “Founder’s Day of Caring.”

“Not only are we seeing it, but we’re talking to the people who need this every day. So being here and helping in just a little way means a lot to me,” 8 On Your Side and Tampa Hoy anchor Paola Suro said.

The volunteer initiative provides an opportunity to step away from the studio and into the community.

“Founder’s Day is always great because we report often on organizations like Feeding Tampa Bay,” 8 On Your Side anchor Chris Martinez said. “So to be able to be here and be part of it and be part of the help they’re giving to the community, it’s really great. It’s a great feeling.”

“We come to work every day, and we report on inflation, how high gas prices are, how folks can’t afford food,” 8 On Your Side anchor Deanne King said. “Here we have Feeding Tampa Bay in our community providing that need and filling that gap.”

Every month, Feeding Tampa Bay provides 2.1 million meals to families in ten counties across the Bay Area.

While the non-profit organization employs a few hundred people, it requires 5,000 volunteers to get the food from the warehouse to the dinner table.

“We have companies come in all the time, but we’re really excited when Channel 8 comes in to celebrate Founder’s Day,” Shannon Hannon-Oliviero of Feeding Tampa Bay said. “You guys take over. You are sorting dry goods. You are in the kitchen. You are in our market. It goes out very quickly because the need is kind of great. People are struggling.”

The “market” is where many on our team were filling the fridge and the produce aisle.

It’s a place, at the Feeding Tampa Bay headquarters, where people can come in monthly to stock up on food.

“I’m taking boxed fruits and vegetables and sorting them out just like you would see at your local Publix, and so people can come in and get what they need for dinner,” Max Defender 8 meteorologist Rebecca Barry said. “The last thing we want is for someone to be hungry tonight.”

There are limits on how many items can be taken, but no income-related qualifications.

Appointments are encouraged. Find out how to book an appointment here: https://ftb.org/causeway/the-market.

Food pantries are also operating across the Bay area. To find food near you, visit https://ftb.org/findfood.

“I love that they call all of the people who come to Feeding Tampa Bay ‘our neighbors,’ and they really are. So we’re neighbors helping neighbors,” 8 On Your Side anchor Stacie Schaible said. “There’s nothing more 8 On Your Side, I think, than us getting out and for people to say, ‘oh, I love watching you guys’. It’s great that they see us out in the community and not just behind the screen.”

Feeding Tampa Bay is always looking for volunteers. To find out how you can help, visit https://ftb.org/volunteer.

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