Metropolitan Ministries is making Christmas merry for Tampa Bay families

Chloe Sparks
·1 min read

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Metropolitan Ministries is serving the Tampa Bay community in more ways than one this Christmas.

At 5 a.m., staff began cooking 1,000 hot meals in the Tampa campus kitchen. They will be served at multiple locations which can be found below.

Hillsborough County

The Portico Café
1001 N. Florida Ave
Tampa, FL 33602
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Pasco County

Healing Hearts Cafe
6436 12th Street
Zephyrhills, FL 33542
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

You don’t have to sign up to receive a hot meal. Each plate consists of ham, a roll, green beans, and sweet potatoes. A dessert also comes with it.

More than a dozen volunteers spent their Christmas morning lending a hand in the food preparation.

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All of the food was paid for by the generosity of the community.

Also thanks to the community, Metropolitan Ministries was able to provide a traditional Christmas morning to the 100 families living at their Tampa site.

Kids got to rip off wrapping paper and discover several items on their Christmas wish list.

“They got pampers, blocks, hoppies, SpongeBob chairs, I don’t know what else they got,” Metropolitan Ministries resident Sharron Johnson said.

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Johnson was one of the many people who got to witness the joy these presents brought her great nieces and nephews.

“I thank God for having a church, and something where I can feel like home,” Johnson said. “A lot of times, I don’t ask for nothing, I just need stuff for the kids.”

Metropolitan Ministries doesn’t just help the community during the holiday season. Click here to apply for ways you can get assistance year-round.

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