Metropolitan Ministries and The Portico served Christmas Day meals to Tampa's homeless community, ensuring no one goes hungry during the holiday season.
The annual Christmas Day meal event provides hot coffee and warm food to those who might not have anywhere else to go during the holidays. The initiative aims to create the familiar Christmas experience for everyone in the community.
"It's really just about creating the Christmas experience that we're all familiar with and making sure those people that are out there that may not have a place to go have somewhere to come in, have a seat, get some fellowship, and feel loved," said organizer JohnPaul Comas.
For many, Christmas is a time to gather and make memories with family and loved ones. But for some, the holiday can present challenges.
Comas, one of the organizers behind the meal, said his goal is simple: to meet people where they are.
"It's about bringing people together, making sure that everybody knows they have a place to go, that they feel loved," Comas said.
The event's goal is to create a welcoming environment for Tampa's homeless community.
"The look on somebody's face when we show up, and they don't know we're coming or they don't know what they're gonna walk into when they get here, and they see a beautiful space that is for them," Comas said.
For attendees like Mary Jackson and Kenneth Wilkinson, the opportunity to sit down, talk, and enjoy food is meaningful.
"Just for my stomach to feel better, so I have something hot," Jackson said.
"I think it's very important that the community shows that there's warmth, there's need, there's love of one another here," Wilkinson said.
Metro Ministries extends this support beyond just Christmas and Thanksgiving. The organization operates hot meal events at 45 different locations every week throughout the year.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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