Get a free, hot meal in Bradenton after Hurricane Ian. Feeding Tampa Bay to hold giveaway.
Starting Friday afternoon at DeSoto Square Mall, Bradenton-area residents are invited to grab a free meal as part of Feeding Tampa Bay’s “mega pantry” food drive.
Food distribution will run from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the mall, 303 301 Blvd. W., Bradenton.
In a partnership with World Central Kitchen, the drive-thru operation will provide hot meals from a food truck as well as take-home meals that do not require electricity to prepare.
“We’re coming prepared and we’re coming to serve as many as we can,” said Shannon Hannon Oliviero, an external affairs officer with Feeding Tampa Bay.
According to the latest reports from power companies, more than 300,000 customers in Manatee and Sarasota counties are still without electricity, as of Thursday afternoon.
Feeding Tampa Bay, a regional organization that focuses on ending hunger in the area, has offered food drives in Bradenton before. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the charity group offered grocery packages in a weekly drive-thru operation at the State College of Florida before switching over to DeSoto Square Mall.
Proof of residency is not required and meals will be free for everyone. The food drive will operate as a drive-thru, but a vehicle is not required to receive food. Walk-ups are welcome, Feeding Tampa Bay said.
For more information on Feeding Tampa Bay’s food drive, visit www.FeedingTampaBay.org or text FTBFYI to 833-530-3663 to sign up for phone alerts.
