Stick A Fork In It

If we want life to improve for ourselves and our neighbors, we'll need to get involved in the conversations that can change that for us. And one of the many ways that we can do that is through voting. Our own advocacy champion, Lorena Hardwick, joins us again today to explain some easy ways you can learn about and lean into the voting process in the coming months. Don't rely on social media or word of mouth to inform you, because there are simple websites that can help you understand what's on your ballot, and early voting locations so that you don't have to take off work or wait in long lines!

To learn more about advocacy and getting involved in conversations about community change, follow @FeedingTampaBay on your favorite social media platforms.

Can you believe there are already over 150 episodes of this show!? Give all we've seen and done in that time, and all the people we've met and talked to, we wanted to mark the occasion by revisiting the goal of the show, and the people working to accomplish it. Shannon Oliviero is the PR Officer of Feeding Tampa Bay, and Ev Malcolm is the Content Manager -- and together they've been telling the stories of our neighbors, partners, and teammates for almost 5 years! Tune in to learn about these two wonderful creatives, how the show has helped spread the mission of Feeding Tampa Bay, and where we hope to take it in the future.

P.S. The book Ev referred to on the show is called Lost Connections, by Johann Hari

And follow @FeedingTampaBay on social media for more powerful storytelling and opportunities to get involved in the fight against hunger!

Yuengling may have opened its famous Tampa brewery back in 1999, but did you know they are the oldest family owned brewery in the US dating back to 1829? Today, the sixth generation of four sisters are running the operation. Tune in to learn more from Debbie Yuengling as she shares their 'all family' culture and what it's like to grow into such a fun and inventive industry. Don't miss out on the concerts taking place on September 5th and 7th -- visit www.yuenglingcenter.com to learn more and get your tickets today.

Follow @FeedingTampaBay on social media to see what other great community partners we're teaming up with, and how you can get involved in ending hunger, too!

There are currently only two "community" schools in Hillsborough County, so as the Resource Teacher at Brandon High, Lauren Leto had to blaze a few trails to support her students. And one of the first things she found when she began talking to families in the community was that their most basic needs weren't being met. Before the conversation could start about raising the school's grade or overall test scores, students and families needed access to consistent, healthy meals, and to feel like they could count on someone to listen to and care for them. On today's episode we talk with Mrs. Leto and one of her student helpers, Pierre, about the impact these resources have had on their school's community, and how something as simple as a food pantry can change lives for the better.

Learn more about our Feeding Minds program by following @FeedingTampaBay on social media today!

In Phil Lee's own words, Florida Blue is a "health solutions company" -- not just an insurance provider. On today's episode he explains what it means to focus on preventive healthcare, rather than trying to address issues once they've already started, and how having access to healthy food is such a key component in that endeavor. In the past four years alone, Florida Blue has provided over 180 million meals to residents across the state. And they plan to continue that mission through close partnership with Feeding Tampa Bay, and building infrastructure that can better connect people with the food they need not just to survive, but to thrive.

See more of the magic made possible through our partnerships by following @FeedingTampaBay on social media, and visiting our website to get involved firsthand!

For YEARS our caring friends over at ABC Action News have been helping us raise awareness about the struggles, needs, successes and humanity of our neighbors around Tampa Bay. And on today's episode we have two of the crew's grade-A journalists, Sean Daly and Jillian Ramos, joining us to talk about our upcoming Pack the Pantries campaign, as well as the effect that media has in creating a better community. Tune in for laughs and learning, and check out our past episode featuring Sean Daly at the link right here!

Also follow @FeedingTampaBay on your favorite social media platform to see how you can easily get involved in the fight against hunger in our region and beyond.

If you've watched Feeding Tampa Bay's Epic Chef competition in the past, you know just how exciting it is to see the best culinary artists in the region face off head-to-head! This year is no different, except that Rachel Bennett, Executive Chef of The Stovall House, will be joining our CEO Thomas Mantz in hosting the live event. Tune in to today's episode to learn about Chef Bennett's history with the event, her history in the kitchen, and what you should prepare for starting later this month!

Thanks to our partners at MOR-TV, you can watch this year's competition live on YouTube (@MORTampa), Facebook (@MORTampa), and on their website, www.mor-tv.com -- and be sure to follow @FeedingTampaBay on social media for more info!

You may be thinking that with our new community center on Causeway Blvd. Feeding Tampa Bay is all set! But the work is just beginning, friends. Now that we have more capacity to feed our neighbors, we have even more room for help from kind souls like you! Our colleagues Derek Ultican and Jason Prado join us on today's episode to explain how you can help us press on toward ending hunger in Tampa Bay, whether you have time, talent, or treasure to contribute to the cause.

Follow @FeedingTampaBay on social media to see all the opportunities we offer for getting involved with your community, and visit our website to donate or volunteer

As our mission has grown, the way it's represented has to grow, too. And we're so thankful to have had the experts at ChappellRoberts by our side for over 10 years, to help with that. We have their Senior Director of Brand Strategy, Katy Parsons, on the show today, to share what it's been like engaging with our community in creative and meaningful ways for so many years. Tune in to see how marketing goes so far beyond just colors and jingles, into breaking down barriers of understanding and possibility for the people who experience it.

Follow @FeedingTampaBay on your favorite social media platform, to see how you can experience the possibilities for yourself!

Many of us know how scary it is to leave high school and try to find your place in the big, wide world. So the mission of Workforce Development Partners is to connect those graduating students with real people who can offer them real opportunities, and support them in their transition to adulthood. Yvonne Fry joins us on today's episode to talk about where and why this mission began, and how it's grown to support dozens of schools in our region. If you have a grade school student looking at home, visit workforcedevelopmentpartner.com to see what kinds of connections might be possible to ensure their future is a bright one!

Follow @FeedingTampaBay on social media to catch more opportunities offered by our network of brilliant, caring community partners.