TAMPA, Fla. -- These volunteers know how to stand out in a crowd.

You’ll notice the signature polos and blazers of the Tampa youth organization Men of Vision -- their members wearing them even as they work in the hot, summer sun. 

“It just makes the difference,” said Zion Wright, the group’s 16-year-old president and rising senior at Hillsborough High School.


What You Need To Know

  • Men of Vision partnered with Feeding Tampa Bay to help distribute food

  • Food distribution set up each Saturday at Carter G. Woodson school in Tampa

  • Located at 8715 N. 22nd Street, Tampa

  • More Coronavirus Coverage

Wright says it’s not just about looking good of course. It’s about helping others.

They’ve partnered with Feeding Tampa Bay to run a food distribution site each Saturday at the Carter G. Woodson school in Tampa.

“Everybody knows that there’s hungry people out there,” Wright said. "Or people that are going through a hard time right now. But you don’t really see it as much if you don’t come looking for it.”

That’s what Men of Vision is all about. They get young men, from elementary school and older, involved in causes for their community.

“We’re not just staying home doing nothing. We’re out here trying to do more and be better for our community,” said Vice President Kyron DeFreitas.

Helping feed their neighbors is something they do regularly.

But during the pandemic, lines at food distribution sites have grown all over the country, making this work even more important.

“Giving these people the food hands on, it’s a good feeling,” Wright said. “You know now they have something to eat. Now they have something they don’t have to stress about."

Organizers are giving to 400 families a week at just this one distribution site.