TAMPA, Fla. (WFTS) — Metropolitan Ministries plans to serve about 30,000 Tampa Bay families this holiday season, and leaders say they need more community support to do it.
Crews began raising the nonprofit's holiday tent in Tampa Thursday morning. According to Metropolitan Ministries, the work begins long before the first tent pole goes up.
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"We start in February, March period, with our planning, coordinating, working with our site partners," James Dunbar, Metropolitan Ministries' vice president of outreach, prevention and community partnerships, said. "Once the tents are up, then the real work starts."
After the tents are erected, staff and volunteers begin building shelves, organizing distribution areas and preparing food boxes for the thousands of families expected to seek assistance.
That need remains significant. Metropolitan Ministries says rising living costs continue to affect many Tampa Bay households, with higher grocery prices, reduced SNAP benefits and lingering financial strain leaving many families struggling to put holiday meals on the table.
"The increased food prices and the decreased SNAP benefits and reduced availability for SNAP benefits definitely is affecting the families," Dunbar said.
He said the nonprofit has seen a steady need for assistance throughout the year, particularly for fresh and frozen proteins and other grocery staples that have become increasingly expensive.
As preparations ramp up, Metropolitan Ministries is urging businesses, churches, civic groups and community organizations to host food drives. The organization provides donation barrels, collection materials and preferred shopping lists to participating groups.
"We definitely need more support from our local businesses, local faith groups, and civic groups to help us run drives," Dunbar said. "Food drives for turkeys, for hams, and non-perishables that go into the food boxes and go on the shelves that families will be able to shop for."
Right now, though, the nonprofit is falling behind. According to Dunbar, Metropolitan Ministries is currently only about one-quarter booked for holiday food drives, putting it behind where it was at the same time last year. He said organizations should begin scheduling drives now so the nonprofit can properly prepare for holiday distributions.
One local partner already stepping up is Armature Works. The Tampa destination has partnered with Metropolitan Ministries for the past six years and is once again collecting food donations throughout October.
"For the month of October, we actually work with them all month long," Connor Marks, director of public events at Armature Works, said. "We do a preferred donation list for all perishable items that could go towards their community."
The partnership will be highlighted during Armature Works' annual Fall Fest celebration on Oct. 24 and 25. The event features family-friendly activities including games, a petting zoo and pumpkin patch, with proceeds benefiting Metropolitan Ministries. Marks said guests can make donations throughout October, not just during Fall Fest.
Marks said community support grows each year.
"We have those people that bring in a ton of stuff, almost pallets of it, at these big events," Marks said. "It's super awesome to see how engaged the community gets when we do these initiatives."
Businesses and organizations can begin hosting food drives immediately. Holiday tents will begin accepting direct donations Nov. 9, while online registration for families seeking assistance is expected to open in mid-to-late October. In-person registration is anticipated to begin around the start of November.
Dunbar said whether donations come from large corporations, churches, civic groups, neighborhood organizations or small businesses, every drive helps make holiday meals possible for families across Tampa Bay.
"The whole reason we do the holiday tents is so many of us take it for granted the ability to be with our families and celebrate for Thanksgiving and for Christmas," Dunbar said. "Some of the most important parts of those days is sitting around the table and being able to just enjoy breaking bread and having a meal with the ones that love you and you love back."
Families seeking holiday assistance, as well as those interested in volunteering, donating or hosting a food drive, can find more information through Metropolitan Ministries' Holiday Central program at MetroMin.org.
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