How donations help stock school food pantries across the Tampa Bay area

TAMPA, Fla. — ABC Action News is partnering with Feeding Tampa Bay and DFCU Financial to pack the school food pantries. The goal of the initiative is to help local families and students get the food

In order to show our viewers how their donations end up in the 77 school food pantries across the Tampa Bay area, ABC Action News went to both the Feeding Tampa Bay warehouse and a local school with a pantry our campaign is working to fill.

The day started bright and early in the warehouse. Jonathan Odermatt is the program's lead driver at Feeding Tampa Bay. He loads pallets and boxes of food onto his truck. Odermatt is part of the team delivering food to more than 75 school food pantries in the Tampa Bay area.

“In talking with these families, are you seeing how big the need is? What are you hearing from those families?” said St. Germain.

“I do see the need. Some of them provide recipes, and others say their kids just did not have enough until this pantry was in effect,” said Odermatt.

“And hearing that… what does it make you feel knowing that you are the person who is actually bringing the food from the warehouse?” said St. Germain.

“It makes me feel honored, absolutely,” said Odermatt.

The food travels from the warehouse to the school food pantry at IDEA Public Schools’ Victory Campus.

“They call me Coach T … and the kids also call me the GOAT,” said Coach T.

“You have to understand these kids are growing up. Some of them don’t have a role model. We are the role model. Once we walk in the door, these kids see us eight hours a day,” said Coach T.

At IDEA Victory, one might call the school food pantry “Coach T’s Food Pantry.”

“It’s just me. I run it because I like to be on “T” with this,” said Coach T.

This pantry is open during the summer months and the school year. Coach T said she prides herself on running the pantry like a grocery store, and she does it for the kids.

“It’s hard getting help for anybody. Parents don’t have it and that’s the main thing that has touched me. Some parents come here like ‘Thank God,’ because I don’t have it,” said Coach T.

The boxes are filled with everything from meat and veggies to what kids really enjoy.

“[What’s your favorite thing to pick from the pantry?] Cereal. [What’s your favorite kind of cereal?] Chex,” said Deshay, who is an incoming eighth grader at IDEA.

Students know and understand the pantry’s worth.

“The food is good – cereal, oatmeal, stuff like that. And also, people get to eat whenever they want to, and when they get hungry, they can get food and not starve,” said Deshay.

To the people in the Tampa Bay area community who donate to our “Pack the Pantries” initiative, Deshay and her aunt say, “Thank you.”

Coach T said in two days, nearly 100 parents come in and use the school food pantry, so it is an incredible resource for the families.

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DONATE OR DROP-OFF

Donate online on this page or you can drop-off non-perishable food items at Bay area DFCU Financial locations.

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