Stick A Fork In It

Honoring MLK through Service with Dr. Samuel Wright

We're hosting our first MLK Day of Service at the new Causeway Center on January 20th this year, as a way to honor the civil rights hero by improving our community. And we invited our friend, Dr. Samuel Wright, to reflect with us on the meaning of the holiday, and what it means to serve. Dr. Wright served as the Vice Chair of the African American History Task Force of Florida, and founded the Black Heritage Festival in our community all the way back in 1999! So tune in to learn about his long journey as a freedom fighter, and what you can do to be one, too.

Follow @FeedingTampaBay to take the first steps, and join one of our MLK Day volunteer locations on Monday, January 20th!

Happy New Year with Thomas Mantz

What does a new year mean for Feeding Tampa Bay? It means leaning into new ways to learn and provide what our community needs. Join us for a fireside chat with our very own Thomas Mantz as we dig into what it means to go beyond food. We've built a home where services can gather, and tested it under stress -- now it's time to see what it can really do with help from our partners and neighbors like you.

Follow @FeedingTampaBay to see what services and partners we've brought into our world, and how you can lend or receive a hand, too.

Heroes of Causeway 2024 - Part 2

After such a triumphant and challenging year, we've renamed our annual "Humans of the Food Bank" episode to "Heroes of Causeway"! The incredible people who have helped us settle into our new home, respond to back-to-back hurricanes, and level up our mission to end hunger are truly deserving of the name. Over the course of this episode and the next, we'll introduce you to nine of our colleagues from various teams and departments, so you can see who actually drives the work that we do, and how they do it. We're grateful to work with such compassionate and dedicated individuals, and together we're going to feed Tampa Bay in so many new ways!

Follow @FeedingTampaBay on social media to see our guests' smiling faces, and to get involved in our work.

Heroes of Causeway 2024 - Part 1

After such a triumphant and challenging year, we've renamed our annual "Humans of the Food Bank" episode to "Heroes of Causeway"! The incredible people who have helped us settle into our new home, respond to back-to-back hurricanes, and level up our mission to end hunger are truly deserving of the name. Over the course of this episode and the next, we'll introduce you to nine of our colleagues from various teams and departments, so you can see who actually drives the work that we do, and how they do it. We're grateful to work with such compassionate and dedicated individuals, and together we're going to feed Tampa Bay in so many new ways!

Follow @FeedingTampaBay on social media to see our guests' smiling faces, and to get involved in our work.

Leveling Up the Fight Against Hunger with Roberto Torres of Blind Tiger Cafe

We're grateful to have such a wide range of expertise and such a depth of commitment from our FTB board members. And that members like Roberto Torres (owner of The Blind Tiger Cafe) are willing to share their perspectives with us here on the show, to give our audience a peek behind the curtain. Tune in to hear Roberto explain the decision and process behind building our new Causeway Center facility, and some of the other awesome local projects he's helping to oversee as well!

Follow @FeedingTampaBay to see how things are progressing in our new home, and how you can lend a hand to our neighbors in need.

Finding Our Shared Nature with Roger Germann of the Florida Aquarium

Today's guest, Roger Germann, tells us that every person who visits the Florida Aquarium is helping them to preserve nature and provide a better life to the animals they care for. And they want to pay that support forward to the community as well, through partnerships like the one they've formed with us here at Feeding Tampa Bay. Tune in to learn about Roger's journey from a hardscrabble youth in Chicago, and how reconnecting people with nature has proven to be one of the most rewarding experiences he could have asked for.

Follow @FeedingTampaBay on social media to learn about other community partners joining us in the fight to end hunger.

Supporting Our Veterans with Colonel DJ Reyes

Soldiers often learn to suffer in silence, which is why it's so important that they have advocates like retired Col. DJ Reyes. His work with Veteran Treatment Courts in Florida have helped numerous service members turn their lives around and reconnect with their families and purpose. On today's episode, we learn what it's like to spend 35 years touring the world on active duty, and why so many of our military personnel find themselves struggling when they return home from a life of constant conflict.

Visit the websites DJ mentions on the episode to learn more about him and the mentor program he organizes below:

www.cuspisvir.org

www.hillsboroughcountymentors.org

And follow @FeedingTampaBay on social media to learn about other ways we support our service members!

Taking Care of Kids in Hillsborough County with Rob Kriete

According to today's guest, Hillsborough County has more teacher vacancies than any other county in the state. And as President of the Hillsborough Classroom Teacher's Association, Rob Kriete knows what he's what he's talking about. That's why he's encouraging everyone to visit voteyesforstudents.org to learn about the referendum that will be on general election ballots this November. This millage referendum (Hillsborough Referendum #2, at the bottom of the ballot) will provide more funds for teachers, bus drivers, custodians, and other workers who support our children, to ensure they're getting the best education possible. Tune in to learn more about the needs of our community's children, and how you can support them!

And follow @FeedingTampaBay on social media to learn more ways to get involved.

Caring For Mental Health After A Disaster with Dr. Christina Canody of BayCare

BayCare doesn't just specialize in providing care for your body, they understand the importance of taking care of your mind, as well. Dr. Christina Canody joins us today to talk about dealing with some of the suffering Floridians have experienced after being hit with two consecutive hurricanes, and also to introduce us to the On Our Sleeves initiative. As a Pediatrician, Dr. Canody has seen how many children struggle with mental health, and is hopeful that BayCare Kids can help. Visit BayCareKidsOnOurSleeves.org to learn more!

Follow @FeedingTampaBay on social media to learn about more partners and initiatives like this one.

Are You Ready to Vote? with Lorena Hardwick

If we want life to improve for ourselves and our neighbors, we'll need to get involved in the conversations that can change that for us. And one of the many ways that we can do that is through voting. Our own advocacy champion, Lorena Hardwick, joins us again today to explain some easy ways you can learn about and lean into the voting process in the coming months. Don't rely on social media or word of mouth to inform you, because there are simple websites that can help you understand what's on your ballot, and early voting locations so that you don't have to take off work or wait in long lines!

To learn more about advocacy and getting involved in conversations about community change, follow @FeedingTampaBay on your favorite social media platforms.