Our community impact day began bright and early at the beautiful, brand new Feeding Tampa Bay office. We were welcomed with breakfast and friendly faces. It certainly was the kick-off we needed for a day that brought about mixed feelings. This day was going to undoubtedly give us a reality check and make us face the music of the world around us. It was going to force us to count our blessings and truly think about the lives we live.
We started our day with an extremely informative and eye-opening presentation from our Day Chair Clara Reynolds (LT ’99), President & CEO of the Crisis Center, and Thomas Mantz, CEO of Feeding Tampa Bay. Some of the key takeaways for me included:
- Social services are housing, food, education, employment, and health
- 43% of households in the Suncoast Region struggle financially
- Two out of five working households can’t cover basic needs
- A family of four needs $95,000 to live; however, the average family income is only $58,00
- It takes four to six months, sometimes a year, to recover from a financial crisis
Those who are using social services include elderly, veterans, homeless, vulnerable populations, and children. They are also people we wouldn’t think like our friends, coworkers, and those with degrees and careers. Many of these people are a part of the
ALICE population. The ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, and Employed) population is very critical and something many of us can relate to. ALICE households are not technically in poverty but struggle to afford basic necessities. They live paycheck to paycheck and are one emergency from being completely depleted.
These households are a diverse group such as teachers, hospital workers, retail employees, and service industry workers. They keep our communities going, but are often stagnant or falling behind. Sadly, many of us know people who have been or who still may be in this situation. People have to make difficult choices to make ends meet. They aren’t often able to pay the electric bill and buy groceries. They can’t send their kids to summer camps or take vacations. These are essential workers, who are working tirelessly to keep our lives going; and simply should’t have this much pressure to survive. It’s a domino effect. This causes higher levels of stress and insecurity, which result in poor physical and mental well-being. If they already can’t afford food, seeking medical treatment is unlikely a top priority.
After our informative session filled with questions from our class, Thomas and Clara ended by providing us with a better understanding of how our communities are serviced. The knowledge they shared was truly enlightening and inspiring, in some ways. It certainly inspired me to research more and find better ways to get involved. Immediately following our chat, we were divided into groups to get to our morning destinations.
Our day chairs identified several organizations for us to explore. We were separated into groups and sent out to various non-profits to learn about missions and the people behind the purposes. My group was assigned to Meals on Wheels. While I’d heard about the organization and had an idea of what they did, I discovered so much more during our visit. Meals on Wheels services thousands of meals per day to people who are unable to cook for themselves. They have four chefs and 25 cooks who make all of the meals on-site. The kitchen staff have a very organized system and even have an in-house packaging machine there too. The meals are labeled as a regular hot meal, diabetic or vegan. Each day, 112 volunteers deliver to 1,000 households per day. We stepped in as a group of food delivery volunteers. We delivered to six homes in the West Tampa area using a food service app on our phone. The people were very happy to see us with their hot meals for the day.
One thing that the executive director pointed out was the element of loneliness and lack of human interaction some of these people experience. “No one sees the home bound who are hidden behind closed doors.” Sometimes, the Meals on Wheels volunteer is the only person that they will talk to throughout the day. These volunteers become a part of their daily routine and they build bonds over those meals. Although it only took us three minutes to deliver a meal, that short time means so much to them. It certainly made my group realize how important regular communication is among our families and friends.
After a boxed lunch and reflection time at Feeding Tampa Bay, we were off to our next adventure. We went out to the Heart Dance Foundation. The Heart Dance Foundation is an organization dedicated to saving people from human trafficking. Their approach is so unique and something I’d never heard of—they go into strip clubs to help women and men. They have a team of women who go in and pray with these ladies, offer them care packages, and remind them that they can get out of the lifestyle when they are ready. From what I heard, they aren’t forceful or overbearing, but they make their presence known. We heard from a former stripper who is now an ambassador and advocate for the Heart Dance Foundation. We also heard from the Tampa Police special unit focused on human trafficking cases. Florida is third in the nation, behind California and Texas, for human trafficking. We also learned about different forms of trafficking including smuggling and forced work labor.
As a mother of a young child, this really opened my eyes to the hidden dangers of our society. Obviously, we can’t do the innocent things we used to do back in the 90’s and early 2000’s. The minds of criminals don’t have an age limit. All they see is an opportunity. We have to be very careful with our children, where we hang out and who is around us. At this point, my son can’t even play at the basketball court alone until I know that he can protect himself if necessary. Call me overprotective, I’ll be just that if it ensures my son’s safety.
Overall, community was imperative to our Leadership Tampa experience. While we all had different experiences with various social service agencies, I am confident that we all were extremely impacted in some way. I know that many of us have committed to giving more of our time and treasure to these organizations; and I am confident that we will. I personally am thankful and look forward to making a difference in more lives within this region, state, and nation one day!