The mission of United Food Bank and Services in Plant City is to help those in need by moving them from a ‘state of hunger’ and ‘impoverishment’ to self-sufficiency, empowerment and self-reliance.
The organization is succeeding in this mission through two unique programs: Feeding Our Legacy, which helps local seniors, and Feeding Our Future, which helps local school and college students.
“Our Feeding Our Legacy program helps local seniors access food and essential household resources closer to home,” said Mary Heysek, United Food Bank and Services’ president and CEO. “We visit two off-site locations each month, one in Bealsville and the other at Plant City Towers in downtown Plant City, to serve seniors who may have difficulty traveling to our main facility or lack reliable transportation. We currently have 376 seniors registered and served through this program, and that number continues to grow. Our goal is to make nutritious food and essential supplies more accessible while helping seniors maintain their independence and quality of life.”
Seniors are an increasingly vulnerable population, with older adults representing one of the fastest-growing segments of the homeless population. Too often, seniors must make difficult choices between purchasing nutritious food and paying for medications or other essential expenses.
“Through our Feeding Our Legacy program, we work to ease some of that burden, improve access to food and resources and help our seniors maintain their health, independence and dignity,” Heysek said.
The organization’s college hunger program, part of Feeding Our Future, partners with 26 local schools to provide 1,300 weekend food bags each week during the school year and 1,500 break bags each week during nonschool time.
“We also partner with two colleges to help address food insecurity among students at Hillsborough College by providing food assistance each week,” Heysek said. “We currently serve approximately 35 students weekly. United Food Bank and Services stocks an on-site student food pantry at the University of Florida IFAS, extending our support to students beyond our immediate community.”
United Food Bank and Services is looking to build partnerships in the Valrico, Brandon and Lithia areas to extend its reach and make food assistance more accessible to families and individuals who can’t travel to its Plant City location.
“As our community continues to grow, it is important that we look at where additional support may be needed and how we can work with local organizations to reach people closer to where they live,” Heysek said.
For more information, visit https://ufbpc.org/ or contact Heysek at 813-764-0265. The office is located at 702 E. Alsobrook St. in Plant City.
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