By Arianne Corbett
Community Food Pantry has been working tirelessly throughout the pandemic to meet an unprecedented need for assistance from the Tampa community. Their meal service has been critical to alleviating hunger, and on February 28, they served their four-millionth meal, something they never thought would happen so soon. “It took us nine and a half years to serve the first million, but only nine months to reach the last million!” reports Beth Dhondt, Development and Grants Coordinator. Three days later, they welcomed “Brandon” to the Community Food Pantry team.
Brandon is not your usual employee or volunteer, because Brandon is a Ford F-250 truck. The organization acquired the truck or Brandon, as they lovingly call it, using funds they received through a No Kid Hungry grant. The name was sentimentally chosen by Community Food Pantry Director, Monica Wilson, who was inspired by her son, Brandon, 10 years ago to volunteer at the organization she would eventually lead.
Brandon is already hard at work helping the Pantry reach its goal to end the physical and emotional hunger of families in a dignified manner. Their comprehensive approach not only alleviates hunger with nutritious foods such as fresh meat, produce and bread but also provides support services, such as health screenings, hygiene bags, language services and homeless outreach. With Brandon added to the team, the Pantry is planning to serve more than 100,000 individuals this year. One third of those are expected to be children.
No Kid Hungry is proud to support Community Food Pantry as they expand to serve more families while reducing food waste through partnerships with local grocers and community gardens. Dhondt expressed why Brandon is so significant to their operations: “Knowing that we have safe and reliable transportation to pull our refrigerated trailer for food sourcing allows us to feed children and families for years to come without worry. We are thankful and humbled by the support from No Kid Hungry to make this happen. Together we make the community stronger!”