MEALS ON
WHEELS FOR KIDS
-
Meals on Wheels for Kids was created to provide nutritious
food to the homes of children and their families that lack
access to food distribution locations like schools and food pantries. -
In partnership with Car Credit the program delivers meals
to more than 1,000 kids each week across Tampa Bay
and metro Atlanta. - Your donations make what we do possible - WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Learn More
- (813)344-5837
18 million children could
face hunger this year
According to the USDA, more than 11 million children in the United States live in “food insecure” homes. This means that those households don’t have enough food for every family member to lead a healthy life. Since the coronavirus pandemic, projections show that 18 million children could face hunger this year.
"Millions of kids go hungry in the United States without school lunches when they are on break for the summer. When the pandemic struck and schools shut down, the problem became even greater. Meals On Wheels for Kids brings food to the homes of those children who are unable to get to school meal distribution sites because of transportation issues, poor health, family circumstances, and more."
- Call Us Now: (813)344-5837
MOW4kids was developed to
Ensure No Child Goes Hungry
Through innovative collaborations and partnerships, MOW4Kids has significantly reduced childhood hunger in Tampa Bay. Since its inception, the unique Meals on Wheels for Kids program has delivered over eight hundred thousand meals to families with children in Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties as well as the Metro Atlanta area.
“As a result of this program, we have seen children experience increased overall nutrition, food security, and a sense of belonging and connection from our delivery volunteers.”
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Your neighborhood kids need you
Donate Today to Fill in The Map
Come back to watch the map fill in with
your donations.
Share to fill in the map!
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Testimonials
What people are saying about MOW4kids?
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Tampa Bay Network:
to End Hunger
TBNEH engages diverse organizations and individuals to help find solutions to end hunger in Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas Counties. Tampa Bay Network to End Hunger is committed to ending hunger in Tampa Bay by bringing people together to find solutions that eliminate barriers, increase access and knowledge, and expand the amount of nutritious food available. Over 350 members—corporations, non-profits, faith-based organizations, universities, foundations, and individuals- belong to this
coalition and are located across Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties. While driving factors may vary among the membership, there is a shared conviction that addressing hunger is essential. Tampa Bay Network to End Hunger is a 501(c)3 non-profit agency and relies on its community for support.
MISSION
The Tampa Bay Network to End Hunger is committed to ending hunger in by bringing people together to find solutions that eliminate barriers, increase access and knowledge, and expand the amount of nutritious food available.
VISION
To build a hunger-free community with access to nutritious food for all.
HISTORY
The Tampa Bay Network to End Hunger (TBNEH) is the first network of its kind in the state of Florida. TBNEH was founded in 2011 by ten leaders from various direct service organizations, businesses, and community circles who wanted to work collaboratively to help solve hunger in Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties.
TBNEH founding members include Vicki Adelson, Department of Health Hillsborough; Will Carey, Tampa Bay Harvest; Jane Egbert, St. Pete Free Clinic; MaryKate Harrison, Hillsborough County Schools Food and Nutrition; Michael Herrara, United Way Suncoast; Caitlin Higgins-Joy, RCS; Steve King, Meals on Wheels of Tampa; Christine Long, Metropolitan Ministries; Pat Rogers, Feeding Tampa Bay (formerly Feeding America Tampa Bay); and Jane Walker, Daystar Life Center.
Today, the Network includes over 350 members who come together to tackle hunger in its tri-county service area. Founded on the mission to end hunger by bringing people together to find solutions, our members share experiences, knowledge, and the workload in tackling hunger in the Tampa Bay area. We believe that working together, rather than separately, is smarter, more efficient, and more rewarding. We don’t just identify solutions; we implement them together.
TBNEH created the first and only Hunger Gap Map in the state of Florida, which shows food supply and demand in the network’s tri-county area. As a collective, the Network identifies and implements solutions to hunger. Some of its programs include: Waste No Food Tampa Bay which utilizes an app that connects restaurants with local 501(c)(3) charities that distribute excess food to their clients and food scraps to composters or farmers, ensuring kids who rely on school meals during the school year also have meals when schools are closed through Meals On Wheels for Kids, and Meals On Wheels St. Petersburg which delivers lunchtime meals to seniors and homebound adults.
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Fighting Hunger Together:
Car Credit Tampa
Though reopening efforts are going well across the country, food pantries and soup kitchens are still under pressure as families continue to struggle. According to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, one in five Floridian children were food insecure before the pandemic. In the wake of the challenges the last year has brought, it’s estimated that one in four children are food insecure—and it disproportionally affects Black and Latino communities. Behind these numbers are people staring at empty kitchen cabinets, skipping meals, trying to console hungry kids, and having to make heartbreaking decisions.
Though both the state and the county have a strong network of food assistance programs, many kids and families are unable to reach these facilities. With that in mind, an organization decided to start a new program—one that would drive meals to those most vulnerable and can’t reach food distribution sites.
Making a hard pivot:
The Tampa Bay Network to End Hunger (TBNEH)—a tri-county leader in hunger relief, research, and program development—was developing Meals on Wheels for Kids Tampa Bay when the pandemic started. The program follows in the steps of the well-known Meals on Wheels, but instead of delivering meals to adults at home who are unable to purchase their own meals, they deliver them to kids in a similar situation. “We were going to start a pilot program in June 2020 with 20 kids for three months, gather the data and adjust as needed,” explains Caitlyn Peacock, Executive Director Tampa Bay Network to End Hunger.
But all their plans changed when schools closed in Pinellas County and over 50,000 kids suddenly faced food insecurity. “One week turned into two weeks. Then, on April 15th, they decided no more in-person school for the rest of the year. We still had hundreds of applications coming in from people who were terrified.” As of today, they’ve served 800,000 meals to over 10,000 kids and their families.
Lending a hand:
To make this program work, Meals on Wheels for Kids relies on a strong team of volunteers. From the moment thousands of meals—that include produce, lean proteins, shelf stable groceries, as well as frozen meals—get prepared and assembled, to the many volunteers that deliver the meals to each kid’s home.
“Every week, we rely on hundreds of volunteers to help families spend time together, have access to healthy ingredients and have the opportunity to share a meal as a family,” Peacock explains.
Joining forces:
But volunteer support isn’t the only thing keeping the program’s wheels rolling. They work alongside many organizations, both for-profit and non-profits.
“We’re not dollar motivated, we’re people motivated,” says Steve Cuculich, recognized Tampa Bay philanthropist and owner of Car Credit Tampa. And it’s not just words: Through Corazones de Car Credit they’ve recognized different charitable organizations or individuals in the Tampa Bay area for their work helping people who are new to the country. And when they heard about Meals on Wheels for Kids, they knew they had to help. In their commitment to helping support Spanish-speaking community members, they’ve joined forces to develop a communication strategy that will help Meals on Wheels for Kids reach those who are struggling the most.
Next steps:
Though the pandemic has raised awareness around food insecurity around the country, this, unfortunately, is an ongoing problem. “Food insecurity isn’t just a COVID problem. Kids are in school 180 days of the year, but there’s still 185 days where they’re not in school”, Peacock notes. “We’re looking to provide those 185 days of meals that these kids are at risk of not having and to also support the adults in the household.”
With this in mind, Meals on Wheels for Kids are trying to both expand the program and develop standards that will enable them to open affiliates across the country. With the upcoming opening of an affiliate in Atlanta, the program continues to gather momentum.
Car Credit Tampa continues to find ways to support the Tampa community and will continue to do so. Click here to learn more.
- Call Us Now: (813)344-5837
This page is made possible by the partnership between Tampa Bay Network to End Hunger, Nuevo En US and Car Credit Tampa.
Nuevo en US is a 501 c-3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide vital assistance and information in Spanish to the immigrant community. Nuevo’s Road to the American Dream series is underwritten exclusively by Tampa-based philanthropist, Steve Cuculich, and Tampa Bay Car Credit dealerships. For more information, go to nuevoenus.org.
