FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 30, 2019

PSTA in the Driver’s Seat Addressing Hunger in Pinellas County with Feeding Tampa Bay

ST. PETERSBURG, FL - Feeding Tampa Bay and Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) announced a new partnership in the fight against hunger. More than 135,000 Pinellas County residents struggle with food insecurity. To address this challenge, these two organizations are teaming up to organize a series of creative events to reach families in need.

On Tuesday, July 30 at 9 a.m., PSTA hosted a Feeding Tampa Bay mobile food pantry in its staff parking lot, distributing food to more than 300 people in just two hours. The 2019 Leadership PSTA class lead the event with the support of the Feeding Tampa Bay team.

(photos here & video here)

What is a Feeding Tampa Bay mobile pantry? A refrigerated truck that delivers shelf stable foods, dairy, meats, prepared meals and fresh produce at no charge to our Tampa Bay neighbors in need. There is no charge, no qualifications or requests made with each attendee encouraged to “shop” for what is best served in their home. The goal is to provide nutritious foods for our neighbors in need with dignity and respect.

“At PSTA we are driven to make a difference in the lives of the people we serve. As a transportation agency, we interact with our community on a daily basis as we take riders to where they need to be. We often hear and see their struggles firsthand, and are excited to have this opportunity to connect our passengers with resources to live healthier, happier lives,” PSTA CEO Brad Miller said.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled about having PSTA as a partner in our mission to create a hunger-free Tampa Bay. We know that much of our success depends on support from strong and thoughtful organizations in our community. The first step is giving those in need convenient access to healthy food options, that begins today. Together, we have the opportunity to reach thousands of children, seniors, and families in Pinellas County and place a nutritious meal on their table,” Kelley Sims, Chief Development Officer said.

PSTA promoted this opportunity heavily throughout bus routes and sent riders a text message to let them know about the mobile food pantry event. The first 20 guests received a free, portable shopping cart to take on buses (one per household). Pantry shoppers also received branded tote bags to carry home food (two per person).

Post the launch event at PSTA, plans are in the works to schedule three additional Feeding Tampa Bay mobile food pantries at bus stop locations in 2019.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Stephanie Weaver

PSTA Communications & Public Relations Manager

O: (727) 540-1853 | C: (727) 249-6542

E: Sweaver@psta.net

Shannon Hannon-Oliviero

Feeding Tampa Bay External Affairs Officer

C: (727) 243-9825

soliviero@feedingtampabay.org

About Feeding Tampa Bay: As the backbone of hunger relief, Feeding Tampa Bay is the largest food rescue and distribution organization in our community, serving a food-insecure population of more than 600,000 people in a 10-county region. Feeding Tampa Bay recovers surplus food from local growers, manufacturers, supermarkets, and organized community food drives and distributes it to those in need through direct programs and a partnership network of 500 community partners. Last year, Feeding Tampa Bay supplied 55 million meals to our neighbors, 4.5 million meals every month to those who would otherwise go hungry. With the support of our partners, team and community we IMAGINE a hunger-free Tampa Bay - providing 115 million meals with dignity every year by 2025. www.FeedingTampaBay.org/IMAGINE 

About PSTA: The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority is the public transit provider for Pinellas County, providing more than 13 million rides per year. PSTA operates nearly 50 bus and trolley routes with a fleet of 210 vehicles. More information is available at www.psta.net or follow @RidePSTA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.