TAMPA, Fla. — From the outside, Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful's Education Center looks like the picture-perfect building for hands-on learning.
"It is on the Hillsborough River,” said Development and Education Manager Ashley Burd.
But on the inside, it's still got scars after over a year of hard work.
"It was gutted in here,” Burd explained as she walked Tampa Bay 28 through the building. “They were down to the drywall stripped out of there."
The facility in Tampa was ruined during Hurricane Helene.
"We had about six feet of water in there, so we're slowly rebuilding,” said Burd. "It just reopened about two weeks ago."
Burd said Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful also lost about $25,000 worth of production equipment.
This Giving Tuesday, the organization is asking people to support them by donating.
“It’s going to go towards, I want to do like a touch tank, maybe another like aquaponic system,” said Burd. "Something with like a watershed model, and then just normal education stuff. We need more carpet squares, we need more books, we need more coloring pencils. Anything that kids like and we can use is where the money's gonna go this year."
At the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, donations are matched dollar-for-dollar up to $10,000.
"This is Noel,” said Regan Blessinger. “You might not be able to tell, but she is about a two-year-old French bulldog. She was found on the side of the road, clearly abandoned."
Tampa Bay 28 sat down with Blessinger with the Humane Society, a non-profit that provides shelter to animals and critical care made possible with the help of donations.
“What is that tangible impact a dollar makes at the Humane Society?” asked Tampa Bay 28 reporter Mary O'Connell.
"That is, she gets medicated baths every day, so that's the medication,” said Blessinger. “That's the food that she needs to eat because she's on a special diet, the fluids, the vet time."
Tampa Bay 28 watched firsthand the ripple effect of a donation as it brought a smile to a four-year-old who was happy to do her part.
"Just Giving Tuesday, we love the organization,” said Amber Allen. "We try to give as much as we can back to the animals."
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Mary O’Connell has a primary focus on education-related stories for Tampa Bay 28. But she also keeps an eye on public health concerns and the always-changing car insurance market. Reach out to Mary to share any of your questions or concerns.
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