What is a "community partnership school"? A hub for helping EVERYONE from students, to parents, to teachers themselves! The Children's Home Society of Florida and its community partners are focused on expanding school offerings to include things like medical and dental care, mentoring, parenting classes, and even housing resources.

They understand how hard it can be for children to get a good education when they're hungry or struggling at home, and how hard it can be for many parents to make ends meet. Join us on today's episode to learn how Mary Brown, Senior Director of Community Partnership Schools, sees this model as the future of successful schooling in our state.

Follow @FeedingTampaBay to learn about our other child-centered programs, and how you can help us grow them!

News is changing just as much as the world that it reports on, but is still a fundamental source of information for us and our neighbors. That's why we invited Natalie Taylor (ABC News) and Walter Allen (FOX News) onto the podcast, to talk about what it's like working in broadcast media today — especially as a couple on different sides of the local news fence. Tune in and learn with us!

Follow @FeedingTampaBay on social media to see how we're evolving with the times as well, and how you can get involved.

Do you remember how exciting it was as a kid to get a new jacket or new shoes, and to show them off at school the next day? For over 20 years, Clothes to Kids has been making that feeling possible for children who have often had to go to school without socks, or wearing pants and shirts that don't fit. Jennifer Jacobs, Executive Director of Clothes to Kids, joins us on today's episode to tell us the story of how their journey started, and the joy she's helped bring to children all across Tampa Bay. Visit clothestokids.org to learn more and help them grow their wardrobe!

And follow @FeedingTampaBay on social media to get involved with good people in your community.

In just a couple weeks you can watch our 10th Epic Chef event LIVE on YouTube (streamed by our partners @MORTampa)! Co-host Rachel Bennett returns to the podcast today to talk about what makes Epic Chef so special, and to enlighten us about the culinary scene of Tampa Bay. Tune in to learn more, and if you want to attend this year's Epic Chef event in person, visit FeedingTampaBay.org/EpicChef!

As always, be sure to follow @FeedingTampaBay on social media for more updates.

How do you know which news sources to trust, and what stories are important for the community to hear? Conan Gallaty, CEO of the Tampa Bay Times, joins us on today's episode to talk about the history and importance of journalism in our country, and the state if digital information today. With so much information being blasted out at such high speeds, we're grateful that the staff of the Tampa Bay Times is so committed to getting the story right, and telling the stories that help keep us informed.

Follow @FeedingTampaBay on your fav social media to find out how you can help your community, too!

As a professional meteorologist and certified "weather geek" -- Denis Phillips is the man to turn to when skies are looking stormy. Many of you stayed tuned into his broadcast on ABC Action News during the hurricanes last year, and on today's episode he tells us what's most important to keep in mind for future hurricanes. If you haven't already heard our past episode with Denis, check it out to learn where his famous "Rule #7" came from, and how you can use it to stay safe this season!

Follow @FeedingTampaBay on social media to learn how else you can prepare for storm season, too.

Seven months after hurricanes Helen and Milton devastated the West coast of Florida, many residents still have not been able to move back into their homes, or afford the expenses to get their lives back on track. That is why our friends at Grow Financial stepped in to provide direct support to our community in the form of direct recovery funding.

Tune in to hear how credit unions like Grow Financial are geared toward community service, offering things like financial literacy programs to their members. And listen to the uplifting story of our neighbor Julia, who was helped by our re-Grow program after hurricane damage completely drained her savings.

The program is closed for now, but follow @FeedingTampBay on your favorite social channels to stay up to date on future services like it!

One of the healthiest things you can do for yourself and the environment is support local industries -- and that's especially true when it comes to farmers! Andrea McClellan of M&B Dairy joins us today to share how her family provides milk to millions of families across Florida, and how partners like Feeding Tampa Bay ensure that milk gets distributed during summertime, storms, and even a pandemic. Tune in to learn how you can support local farmers, and stick around for the end of the show where we recap the most important takeaways!

Follow @FeedingTampaBay on social media to see our partnerships in action, and get involved in our family-fun volunteer opportunities.

For decades Metropolitan Ministries has been giving people hope in our community by providing food, shelter, and human dignity. That is why our growing partnership with them is so meaningful, and why we're so grateful to have their president, Tim Marks, as the very first guest for our show's visual re-launch!

Tim is entering a much-deserved retirement, and shares with us the importance of being a "servant leader". His journey is as unusual as that of many non-profit leaders, but his passion for telling human stories is familiar to us. Listen (and watch on YouTube or Spotify!) as he and our own president, Thomas Mantz, reflect on their many years of collaboration, and the new collaborations to come.

Follow @FeedingTampaBay on social media to learn how you can get involved in supporting your community!

Some BIG CHANGES are coming to Stick A Fork In It!

While we're working hard behind the scenes to put everything in place, we wanted to take a moment to revisit some of our most popular and impactful episodes. In this next retrospective, we hear a story of food insecurity to stability from out own board chair, Kareem Spratling. Despite being an esteemed lawyer now, he remembers how he and his mother struggled with hunger in his youth -- and he wants everyone to see as clearly as he does that hunger exists in places you might not expect.

Follow @FeedingTampaBay on your fav social media platform to find out when the BIG CHANGES are complete and ready to see!