Feeding Tampa Bay

✍️ LargestCharities Editorial Team | 📅 Last updated: June 2026

Feeding Tampa Bay covers ten counties along Florida’s Gulf Coast, from Citrus and Hernando in the north down through Hillsborough and Pinellas to Sarasota, Charlotte, and DeSoto. As part of the Feeding Florida and Feeding America networks, it is usually one of the first organizations moving food when a hurricane hits this stretch of coast. Thomas Mantz serves as President and CEO. The headquarters is on Causeway Boulevard in Tampa.

Headquarters3624 Causeway Boulevard, Tampa, FL
President & CEOThomas Mantz
Service area10 Gulf Coast counties
NetworkFeeding America / Feeding Florida member
RoleDisaster first responder
CountiesHillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and 7 more
Websitefeedingtampabay.org
When a hurricane hits the Gulf Coast, this is a first responder. Feeding Tampa Bay covers 10 counties and surges food into disaster zones. Find help, donate, or volunteer at feedingtampabay.org.
Donate → Volunteer

What Feeding Tampa Bay does

Feeding Tampa Bay sources food at scale and moves it across ten counties through partner agencies and its own programs. Its location shapes its work: this part of the Gulf Coast is hit by hurricanes regularly, so the organization is built to surge food into disaster zones quickly, on top of the steady year-round distribution that addresses ordinary food insecurity.

It has also invested in fresh and prepared food and in larger-format community sites that combine groceries with other services, part of the broader move in food banking beyond canned goods alone.

Leadership: Thomas Mantz

Thomas Mantz serves as President and CEO. He has been a visible regional voice on hunger and on the organization’s long-term strategy of building a system that aims at ending hunger rather than only managing it, including a vision of food as a foundation for health and opportunity.

Who it serves

The ten-county service area covers Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, Citrus, Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, Hardee, and DeSoto. It mixes the dense Tampa-St. Petersburg metro with rural inland counties and retiree-heavy coastal communities, each with its own pattern of need, and all of it exposed to hurricane season.

Is it legitimate? Ratings and finances

Yes. Feeding Tampa Bay is a 501(c)(3) and a member of Feeding America and Feeding Florida. Donors can review its financials through GuideStar and Charity Navigator. Its supply leans on donated product and bulk purchasing, so gifts convert into many meals.

How to donate and volunteer

Donations and volunteer shifts run through feedingtampabay.org. Volunteers are especially important during disaster response, and cash gifts give the organization the flexibility to buy exactly what is needed when a storm hits.

How it compares with other Florida food banks

Under the Feeding Florida umbrella, Feeding Tampa Bay covers the Gulf Coast, Second Harvest of Central Florida covers the Orlando region, and Feeding South Florida covers the southeast. For anyone in the Tampa Bay region or the surrounding Gulf counties, Feeding Tampa Bay is the lead organization.

Programs

Partner network

Agencies across ten Gulf Coast counties receive food.

Disaster response

First-responder surge distribution during hurricanes.

Fresh and prepared food

Produce and kitchen meals alongside shelf-stable goods.

Community sites

Larger-format locations that pair food with other services.

By the numbers

Frequently asked questions

What is Feeding Tampa Bay?
The lead food bank for ten counties across the Tampa Bay and Gulf Coast region, and a first responder for hurricane hunger relief. A Feeding America and Feeding Florida member. Site: feedingtampabay.org.
Who runs it?
Thomas Mantz, President and CEO.
Which counties does it cover?
Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, Citrus, Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, Hardee, and DeSoto.
Is it a good charity?
It is a 501(c)(3) and a member of Feeding America and Feeding Florida.
How can I help?
Donate or volunteer at feedingtampabay.org. Volunteers and flexible cash gifts matter most during hurricane response.

Sources: Feeding Tampa Bay website (feedingtampabay.org), GuideStar (EIN 59-2116576, listed as Feeding America Tampa Bay Inc), and the organization’s published service area and strategy. We are not affiliated with Feeding Tampa Bay and receive no compensation for this listing. Spotted an error? [email protected]

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