The Brief More than 144,000 people in Hillsborough County struggle with food insecurity. A new pantry, “The Foodtique,” just opened in Progress Village. The pantry will operate twice a month and provide meals by appointment.

What we know:

Feeding Tampa Bay estimates over 144,000 Hillsborough County residents don’t know where their next meal is coming from, with children and seniors hit especially hard.

In Progress Village, a brand-new food pantry called The Foodtique is stepping in to help. The pantry opened this week in the Progress Village Shopping Center with support from Metro Ministries, United Way, Hillsborough County, and Mosaic.

The backstory:

Twanda Bradley, president of the Progress Village Civic Council and founder of the nonprofit Grow My Giving, first noticed the problem during the pandemic. Families in Progress Village, Palm River, and Clair-Mel were struggling to afford food or get to grocery stores.

Her nonprofit partnered with Metropolitan Ministries to host mobile food pantries, which served hundreds of families each week. But unpredictable weather and limited supply pushed the group to rethink its model.

What’s next:

The Foodtique now offers families a chance to “shop” for food in scheduled appointments. Each visit provides enough food for about four meals per person. Right now, the pantry is open on the second and fourth Thursdays of every month, with plans to expand.

What you can do:

Organizers say the pantry urgently needs food donations and volunteers to keep up with demand.

The Source:

This story is based on reporting from FOX 13’s Jennifer Kveglis and interviews with community leader Twanda Bradley.