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Food insecurity is still an issue in Tampa Bay, even as the pandemic seems to wane

Pallets of boxes of food are in a parking lot being unloaded off of a truck by Feeding Tampa Bay staff.
Facebook: Feeding Tampa Bay
Pallets of boxes of food are in a parking lot being unloaded off of a truck by Feeding Tampa Bay staff.

Thomas Mantz of Feeding Tampa Bay says he expects the economic effects of the pandemic on food security to last for years.

This week, we take a deeper look at food insecurity - and the growing demand for help in the greater Tampa Bay region.

Host Steve Newborn talks with Thomas Mantz, president and CEO of Feeding Tampa Bay, one of the largest food banks in the region. It provided more than 95 million meals to residents in 10 West Central Florida counties last year.

Later on in the show, Steve talks with Catherine Campbell, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences professor who specializes in community food systems.

Campbell explains that as many Floridians struggled early in the pandemic, the state's food producers and farmers also struggled with the large-scale changes to their harvests and production schedules. She says that's led to more understanding about where Floridians get their food.

You can listen to Steve’s conversations with Mantz and Campbell by clicking on the “Listen” button. Or you can listen to the WUSF app under “Programs & Podcasts.”

Hi there! I’m Dinorah Prevost and I’m the producer of Florida Matters, WUSF's weekly public affairs show. That basically means that I plan, record and edit the interviews we feature on the show.
Steve Newborn is a WUSF reporter and producer at WUSF covering environmental issues and politics in the Tampa Bay area.
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