TAMPA -- Whenever an issue arises, Feeding Tampa Bay president and CEO Thomas Mantz can count on the Rays reaching out to offer their help quickly. Very quickly.
They’ve proven that, through everything from hurricanes to the COVID-19 pandemic to everyday issues creating food insecurity in the Tampa Bay area. They’ve shown their support with volunteer hours, funding and promotional events at games.
“The very first call we receive is typically from the Rays,” Mantz said in a phone interview. “They're the first ones to call and say, 'What can we do? What do you need? How can we help?'
“Wherever they have been able to say, 'Can we help you?' in some way, shape or form, they are usually the first through the door.”
Feeding Tampa Bay provides food assistance for 10 counties across west central Florida. This Thanksgiving, the Rays came up with a new and unique way to help -- a holiday takeover.
Last Wednesday, the Rays took over Feeding Tampa Bay’s bistro and market at the Causeway Center -- the first organization to sponsor that kind of full takeover. Nearly 40 staff members volunteered in shifts for a total of nine hours, serving more than 500 people with hot meals in the quick-service restaurant. Ingredients for a full Thanksgiving meal were provided by the Rays Baseball Foundation.
The idea came about months ago to line up with the Thanksgiving holiday, but it turned out to be particularly timely as Feeding Tampa Bay has been active recently in response to the effects of the delayed Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
“In our work, one of the things we are really aware of -- and we say this often -- is everything good in life happens around a table,” Mantz said. “The people you're with, the meals that you have, they're all really important. They're important to your family. You have traditions. When people are struggling economically and they can't enjoy those traditions and have those meals with people they love, it's hard, because they're important to you.
“The people we serve that are struggling economically, they don't have those options. And what the Rays did today is make sure a whole lot more people have that option. They can have a meal at home for Thanksgiving. They can enjoy getting together around the table, and they don't have to worry about how much it'll cost them.”
Jenn Tran, the Rays’ chief people and culture officer, noted that the Rays have held Thanksgiving events in the community before -- meal service, turkey giveaways and more. Why not find a way to provide a full Thanksgiving meal for their neighbors through Feeding Tampa Bay’s market?
“We reached out,” Tran said, “and just said, 'How can we do this? And is this something you'd like us to do?' And of course, they were like, 'Absolutely.’
“So we decided to lean in a little bit further, as we typically do, and see if we could just take over everything. Our staff really loves, earnestly, to volunteer. It is certainly a huge part of our culture. It's core to who we are. To have an opportunity to do this, of course we got a fantastic response from those who wanted to help.”
In the bistro, Rays staff helped serve a nutritious, sit-down meal, spreading out for preparation, serving, bussing and hosting duties. In the free market, which is set up like a grocery store, they provided turkeys and all the fixings for a full Thanksgiving dinner while directing traffic, stocking shelves and packaging groceries. Raymond, the mascot, greeted people at the door.
“It was, from start to end, a way to really rethink how we take care of folks and make sure that they have good, nutritious food on a table today and on their table for Thanksgiving,” Mantz said. “Teams are judged by their win-loss records, I get that. But from our perspective, if you were to talk about community impact, the Rays have long been one of our most powerful and impactful partners.”
The Rays have been, and will continue to be, active in the community throughout the holiday season and beyond.
In honor of Veterans Day, 30 Rays and Tampa Bay Rowdies staff members served local veterans by volunteering with Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Hillsborough for their annual Veterans Build initiative. The Rays will also participate in the Great American Teach-In at Campbell Park Elementary School in St. Petersburg and Tampa Bay Boulevard Elementary School in Tampa. And their annual Week of Giving will return Dec. 1, with a full week of events and efforts supporting local nonprofit organizations.
“There's a need year-round,” Tran said. “I think a lot of us do think about it during the holiday season, and we think about how fortunate we are individually or in our own circumstances and how we can help others. It certainly is a focus of ours. But we continually do work throughout the year, and there is a great need throughout the year with many of our nonprofit organizations in the community.”