Metropolitan Ministries does such an incredible job of organizing these tents. This has been a big…read moredeal to families for the past 40 years in the Tampa Bay Area. There is never a shortage of stories from those they have helped in the past and those helped are never afraid to share!

This is my second year volunteering here with my nieces and every year it's run very smoothly…read more There's a drive through to drop off donations and volunteers are directed to park across the street. There are shifts for volunteering so make sure to check the schedule. Do your part by donating your time or items.

Amazing place from research. They have a list of things they need for the orphanage. If you can…read moregive something for the orphanage or to fulfill a child's wish list.

It's the most wonderful time of the year…read more Well i never thought I'd be doing a review on a Children's Home but here it goes. Sidenote: As i was driving here all i was thinking is damn this is going to be sad and the living arrangement is going to be terrible and i might not like the place...but how quickly that changed soon as i pulled up on the compound. The place was very well maintained the kids all looked very happy. I really can't find the correct words to describe the feeling of making a kid smile the way those kidsim so damn glad i went to see this place and meet my boy John he wanted to talk about basketball all night. I promised him I'll be back to watch their basketball games next month and will not break Thai promise. P.S. If you ever in the mood to donate stop by they accept everything.

I received a city generated text invitation to attend a disaster preparedness event. Didn't have to…read moretell me twice, as I was really curious as to what it would involve and my personal benefit and takeaways. WOW, I was not prepared for how big this would be. In short, please attend if you can. I imagine they have this every June before our hurricane season begins. Feeding Tampa Bay hosted an amazing event, with well over 4 dozen vendors and fire trucks / vehicles etc parked outside. I'm so glad I went and am thankful to FTB for bringing amazing value to my time there. Plenty of resources I had no idea were available. Top service also as my friend was ill, and despite no water stands or machines to purchase (they need to fix that next year!), they kindly got a water bottle for her to feel better. Great service!

My family has had the pleasure of volunteering with Feeding Tampa Bay, and I'm truly inspired by…read morethe incredible work they do. From the moment we arrived, there was an immediate sense of community and purpose. The team at Feeding Tampa Bay are welcoming, dedicated and encouraging. They have created an efficient and respectful environment that allows families, colleagues and friends to work together for a great cause. I love that my young children are allowed to help out and feel valued. The new facility is HUGE with plenty of parking. There's also an area for volunteers to enjoy a beverage or snack. I encourage anyone looking to make a difference in Tampa Bay to get involved.

A spot to hang out with people who soon become friends. Just a casual place to chill…read more The burgers are great. The drinks aren't expensive and served with a smile.

This is a great place for military veterans and families to enjoy each others company. Annual dues…read moreare minimal and food & drink prices are reasonable. Great burgers and dogs. Bowling leagues, bingo and bar card games are a blast!

Great service by bartender "Ocean"... Drinks were really…read moregood! We had their queso dip, it was awesome!

Located in the old Riverview Library, ECHO is an emergency center to help those that need help…read more Free of charge, clothes, food, home goods, just about anything is available to those in need. A better place to donate than Goodwill, no money is needed. Wonderful volunteers were there to take our donation. Support these folks, you'll feel better after you do.

This space is for rent and the swing dance group from Tampa comes together here every Sunday. It's…read morean excellent venue for it as it has a great dance floor. Parking lot right outside!

Great East Coast Swing dancing here on Sunday's. Beginner lessons are from 6pm-7pm, Intermediate…read morelessons from 7pm to 8pm, and the east coast swing dance is from 8pm-11pm :)

I have never been so disheartened in my life at the humanity of this organization. Went to pantry…read moretoday and waiting in line for 2 hrs only to be told they couldn't service me because of zip code location. I am currently homeless staying in a hotel when able to afford and was refused service. If this is a need based facility I'm not sure how this is ever an option turning away someone in need asking for help. Response I was given is "we can't feed all of Tampa Bay" absolutely crushed a facility could do this in my most time of need

This food pantry is associated with a church in Carrollwood and has distribution hours, two days a…read moreweek, Wednesday and Saturday. They are open Monday through Friday for volunteers to come and help with packing and distribution of food items that are donated from local grocery stores. My son started to volunteer here when he was a freshman in high school, which was more than six years ago, and now I volunteer a few days a week to help with packing the fresh food items. High school students can volunteer here on a regular basis for their community service hours that goes toward scholarships in the state of Florida. Monica Wilson, and Franny Tough as well as Carol. Are the stable employees. They keep everyone going.

Lighthouse Ministries…read more A look inside: Pastor Joe got me an uber there on a Wednesday afternoon, as I was to participate in their "volunteer" program. I listed on my application that I take Suboxone and have for years. No issue. On Friday afternoon a guy named Reggie shows up and tells me to leave immediately. (Let me add that on Thursday i had to go to the ER and get antibiotics for strep throat). The reason I had to leave is that I take Suboxone. He says it will make me drop dirty for benzodiazepines and amphetamines, both of which is totally false and literally scientifically impossible. Reggie has a volunteer follow me around as I pack up my stuff, saying i need to leave right now over and over as if I did something wrong, when I absolutely haven't. While I was there i seen that in the mornings after the over night guests leave, the volunteers are tasked with staging the dorms to look a certain way --just in case-- if any donors might want to walk through. So, every morning 120 bunks are made up nicely with nice sheets and blankets etc just so that at 2pm another volunteer can go around and rip all the stuff back off the beds. I asked why they did this? And was told it was to stage the property to look a certain way, to look "nice" if anyone were to want to walk through before or after donating money. They don't help volunteers not program participants get jobs. But rather promote the homeless to pay $7 per night to stay from 4pm-6am everyday. Even if you work you can't enter after the usual 4-5pm check in time. So they really aren't trying to better anyone's life. I would bet plenty of money is collected to allow for their "programs" and "volunteers". But it's all misdirection and deception. Staging daily. Kicking people out for no reason. Not really trying to help people with employment or flexibility. And it's all done in the name of God. Pretty sure God brought me to Lakeland just so I could witness this atrocious behavior and people. Reggie is not only uneducated on what he speaks, but totally unprofessional and literally bullied me. Shame on Lighthouse. Sincerely, Ryan S. Trucker 863.346.0512

Well, I'm disappointed and rather insulted. The donation/thrift section refuses to take a desk…read morebecause they "don't take desks", a table because it has a scratch mark, a large dresser because it had testing paint (I was planning on repainting it but never got around to it), and the 2 end tables that went with the dresser because the legs are "loose". These pieces of furniture survived being moved twice and been around for decades. Of course it's not going to be brand new looking. And all that is needed is some TLC. The only thing they took was a massive China cabinet. For a church, this is very not-church-like. Especially the two gentlemen had a vibe of being pretentious. They did take the smaller box/bag items though which is why it's a 2 star instead of 1. They also lack communication. We were told they would go across the street to get their stuff. My mother called the day before to be sure the day before pick up, they never called back. They called the day of and said they'd call us when they were 20 minutes out and would not because they were booked (which is fair, but they should have said so earlier). They actually called when they were 10 minutes out so we were scrambling to get their stuff to our house. I think they refused to take it because they, the drivers, didn't want to put in any effort and actually work. We won't be donating to them again. Instead we have another that would take just about anything, give it the TLC it needs and sell it to someone who needs it.