Thousands of families across the Bay area won’t have to worry about hunger, at least for one day.
Fifth-Third Bank partnered with Metropolitan Ministries to feed 5,300 families through their “Fifth Third Feeding Families” campaign.
Families were able to shop from a number of items to help fill their pantries.
Paula Pierce of Taking It To the Streets said she felt a lot of mixed emotions as families came by to pick up food.
“It’s kind of a mixed emotion," she said. "A lot of the families that are coming in for help use to donate. Now they’re coming here because they’ve lost their jobs."
With the number of homeless people growing in the Bay area, the need for food is there. Families like the Whitlows say donations of food help keep them afloat.
"If it wasn’t for this place, well...I don’t know," Patty Whitlow said. "There’s a lot of homeless in Pinellas Park, but they just don’t know where to go."
Fifth-Third volunteers worked for hours, sorting canned goods and filling carts. They said it felt good just to be able to give back.
“Fifty-seven families of every 10,000 people in Tampa Bay experience homelessness," volunteer Betty Sullivan said. "It’s important for us to be able to deliver and give back to our community. Even if it’s only through 5,300 families, we feel like we’ve done just a little bit to help correct that."
To prepare for the big day, the bank had been taking donations at all their Tampa Bay locations since the beginning of May. The bank also hosted a similar day in Tampa with Metropolitian Ministries.