Community leaders gathered recently to celebrate the grand opening of the new state-of-the-art Feeding Tampa Bay Community Center, which will provide nutritious food and provide valuable services to residents in need.
Located at 3624 Causeway Blvd., Tampa, FL 33619, the 215,000-square-foot warehouse has four times more freezer storage to receive and distribute fresh foods. There is a grocery store and restaurant, volunteer space, community room, kitchen, and space for Feeding Tampa Bay's job training programs and its other community partners.
Hillsborough County is one of those partners, and in 2022, the Board of County Commissioners approved $5 million from the American Rescue Plan to the build the new facility. Several County departments including Aging Services and Social Services will share collaborative space at the facility to provide residents access to resources. Residents will be able to access other county human services via referrals from staff working at the facility.
The new facility increases the space for job training programs fivefold. Feeding Tampa Bay offers job training in several categories, including commercial driver's licenses, warehouse logistics, and culinary arts.
Creating a one-stop-shop for food assistance needs and beyond, Causeway Center offers hot meals, support to navigate benefits, a computer lab, and a learning center.