By LINDA CHION KENNEY
Billed as “a new day” at Feeding Tampa Bay, this is no surprise to Suzy Chen, who since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic made it a point to volunteer her time to stand with the nonprofit in its fight against food insecurity.
“I love this facility in terms of the size and the comfort it gives to the volunteers and the clients,” Chen said, in an interview at the center last month. “I’m excited to see all of the services under one roof, and, especially, the café that will be opening.”
Suzy Chen, volunteering at Feeding Tampa Bay Causeway Center
Back in 2020, Feeding Tampa Bay, part of the Feeding America network, operated out of an 80,000-square-foot warehouse off Adamo Road and 50th Street, at 4702 Transportation Drive, as a nonprofit food rescue and distribution organization.
“We were sweating to death” there, Chen said, in contrast to the newly opened Feeding Tampa Bay Causeway Center, billed as “the largest social services capital project in Tampa Bay history.”
Built on an 18-acre tract at 3624 Causeway Blvd., the two-story, 215,000-square-foot regional center cost roughly $60 million. Funding from public and private sources included $5 million in Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, a program authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act.
Feeding Tampa Bay, part of the national Feeding America network, serves the 10-county area of West Central Florida. The Causeway Center, west of U.S. Highway 41, opened earlier this year as a “hub of opportunity,” which furthers the nonprofit’s goal of creating a hunger-free community. The nonprofit reportedly provides 2 million meals weekly, on track this year to hit 85 million overall, with contracts that include provision for summer and afterschool feeding programs as well.
Inside warehouse view at Feeding Tampa Bay in Hillsborough County
By the numbers, Feeding Tampa Bay boasts 136 donors, 14 food partners, 26 volunteer partners and 26 annual partners. In addition to loading docks and refrigeration and kitchen spaces, the center’s spaces include a market, bistro café, soft-skills training room, community rental space for up to 485 guests and spaces for roughly 20 on-site partners, including Metropolitan Ministries, Bay Area Legal Services, Hillsborough County, City of Tampa and BayCare Health.
As a one-stop shop to address food insecurity and to provide access to, and information about, health and social services, the center’s volunteer room is where people like Chen learn about the numerous opportunities to help neighbors in need.
It’s been four years since Chen stepped out of retirement to volunteer at Feeding Tampa Bay, “and no, I never thought about turning it into a career,” she said. “But I really enjoy not only serving the community but also working with the large variety of people who are volunteers, people whom I might not otherwise cross paths with, but we all have the same goal for our community, which is to make sure everybody gets fed.”
Linda Chion Kenney photos
Newly opened at 3624 Causeway Blvd., Feeding Tampa Bay is open and ready for volunteerism of all sorts.
Volunteer opportunities include manning the food pantry; packing and loading grocery orders for food pantry partners; and staging, packing and distributing groceries for mobile pantries. “Your time helps end hunger” is the greeting that welcomes visitors to the nonprofit’s web site, where youth and adults can view the volunteer calendar and sign up for individual and group volunteer shifts on site and in other locations, including mobile pantries and offsite Trinity Cafés.
At the market in the Causeway Center in June, Chen took a break to answer questions about her volunteer experience. “Most of the people we serve are super grateful and gracious,” she said. “Some people are regulars, so we know that there’s a real need for them and that they’re getting the food they need.”
As for spending her retirement hours in other ways, Chen stands firm in her choice to help out at Feeding Tampa Bay. “It’s a joy for me to serve, whether it’s at my church or here,” she said. “I definitely couldn’t see myself just golfing every day.”
For more on Feeding Tampa Bay, its services, hours, support and volunteer opportunities, visit www.feedingtampabay.org/causeway/.