Families are struggling to get by during what is now the longest government shutdown in history.
Across the greater Tampa Bay region, several businesses and nonprofits are making large donations to community organizations offering assistance.
Nichole Peña-Miller, the senior director for financial security at United Way Suncoast, said the nonprofit is hearing from community partners offering food assistance that demand in the region is at an all-time high.
"One partner said that they've had the greatest turnout at their food pantry that they have — ever. So, higher than what they saw in the pandemic. Higher than any other time," she said. "So we know that this is a huge need in the community, and part of why we wanted to distribute these funds."
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Last week, United Way announced plans to distribute $350,000 to 24 nonprofit community partners across Hillsborough, Pinellas, Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties.
The money is going to community-based organizations, including All Faiths Food Bank and United Food Bank and Services, which offer help with food, rent, utilities and other types of assistance.
In what the group is calling its "Bridging the Gap Initiative," organizations can use the funds at their discretion.
“We called upon our 101 years of expertise, the strength of our existing partnerships, and our understanding of community dynamics to move quickly and responsibly,” United Way Suncoast CEO Jessica Muroff said in a release. “Our goal is to help stabilize households and ensure our partners have the resources to respond compassionately and effectively.”
Muroff also called on the business community and local governments to step up and respond to "a crisis of this scale."
Several restaurants and nonprofits across the Tampa Bay region have already answered this call.
Last week, the St. Pete Catalyst reported that Pinellas Community Foundation awarded $150,000 to nine county food banks to offset the cost of emergency food assistance.
As the Lakeland Ledger reports, several Polk County businesses and nonprofits are also offering free or discounted food items to address the delay in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP benefits.
Gabriella Paul covers the stories of people living paycheck to paycheck in the greater Tampa Bay region for WUSF. Here’s how you can share your story with her.
