Mantz said keeping enough food on hand is a challenge without the extra draw on resources.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere never is enough food. Period,” he said. “We\u2019re not meeting [the] need to begin with. We\u2019re doing as much as we can with the resources that we have. And so, when you have a situation like we\u2019re in now, it becomes an acute shortage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Feeding Tampa Bay acts as a large broker for the region, distributing food to around 400 partner charities and pantries across 10 counties.<\/a><\/p>\n \n 1 of 2 Feeding Tampa Bay volunteers and staff distribute food at an evening drive-thru event at their headquarters on Causeway Boulevard in Tampa. <\/p>\n Courtesy of Feeding Tampa Bay<\/p>\n \n 2 of 2 Cars line the parking lot at Feeding Tampa Bay waiting for food assistance. <\/p>\n Courtesy of Feeding Tampa Bay<\/p>\n All Faiths Food Bank operates a similar model, distributing food to around 300 local partners in Sarasota and DeSoto counties.<\/p>\n CEO Nelle Miller said that while there is not a widespread shortage, they have had instances where they ran out of food at their consumer distribution sites.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been turning cars away. We\u2019ve run out of food at distributions,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s been unpredictable. Sometimes, it\u2019s 30 cars. Sometimes, it\u2019s 50 cars, and that\u2019s a lot for here.\u201d<\/p>\n The food bank recently purchased truckloads of pre-assembled dry goods to avoid shortages moving forward, even if \u201cwe are not able to give them produce and proteins at every distribution,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n On Thursday, All Faiths Food Bank received a $100,000 donation from Hugh Culverhouse Jr. to support families recovering after the shutdown.<\/p>\n Other food banks have received large gifts, too. Last week, United Way Suncoast distributed $350,000 to 24 area food banks to support increased operations.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Tampa Bay nonprofits prop up groups offering assistance during the government shutdown<\/a><\/p>\n Some food banks, like Feeding Tampa Bay, have had to dip into reserves, too.<\/p>\n Jennifer Yeagley, the CEO for the St. Pete Free Clinic, said they also have reserves that they haven\u2019t dipped into yet.<\/p>\n She said, for now, they are meeting demand.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe we have \u2014 or should have \u2014 resources in this community to be able to step up [and] meet a short-term need. I don\u2019t know that we can \u2026 meet the full need for an extended period of time,\u201d Yeagley said.<\/p>\n New customers contribute to high demand<\/p>\n In October, Yeagley said the St. Pete Free Clinic distributed 400,000 more pounds of food compared to September.<\/p>\n Part of the reason for the jump in demand is new customers, she said.<\/p>\n St. Pete Free Clinic reports that over 8,000 residents used their distribution site for the first time in the last three months, accounting for around 55 percent of individuals served.<\/p>\n Yeagley said they experienced a similar jump during the COVID pandemic, and those numbers never corrected.<\/p>\n \u201cOur numbers more than tripled, and we began serving, on average, 20,000 visitors per month \u2026 and that just became our new normal,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Yeagley wonders if the same trend, on a smaller scale, could happen in the aftermath of this historic government shutdown.<\/p>\n Courtesy of All Faiths Food Bank<\/p>\n A volunteer loads food into a car in line at a mobile pantry distribution site with All Faiths Food Bank. The nonprofit estimates serving over 46,000 people since Sept. 1, including more than 2,000 first-time customers. <\/p>\n Mantz said the team at Feeding Tampa Bay has learned similar lessons.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know from past experience with pandemics and with hurricanes, for every day that a household is without resources, it\u2019s a week of recovery,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Miller, at All Faiths Food Bank, is bracing for sustained demand as well despite federal food assistance resuming.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople have eaten everything out of their cupboard, so they\u2019re going to be replacing food,\u201d she said. \u201cA lot of people have found food banks that didn’t go to them before and and SNAP doesn’t fully cover the food bill for a family and barely covers it for an individual. So there’s always a gap.\u201d<\/p>\n Resources:<\/p>\n St. Pete Free Clinic Fresh Pantry offers free groceries to any Pinellas County residents with indoor and drive-thru options. Find available food pantries at thespfc.org\/map\/.<\/a>Feeding Tampa Bay has several \u201cemergency response\u201d food pantry distribution events on Monday, Nov. 17. Find various locations at feedingtampabay.org.<\/a>All Faiths Food Bank has extended hours at some resource centers. Find upcoming distribution schedules for Sarasota, Laurel\/Nokomis, Venice, North Port, Englewood and Arcadia at allfaithsfoodbank.org\/foodfinder\/.<\/a><\/p>\n
\n \u00a0\u2014\u00a0Feeding Tampa Bay mobile food pantry\n <\/p>\n
\n \u00a0\u2014\u00a0Feeding Tampa Bay\n <\/p>\n<\/p>\n