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Over the past six years, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Raymond James have worked to “sack hunger” by stocking Tampa Bay-area food banks before the holidays. Since the program’s inception, Raymond James – in coordination with the Bucs and other corporate sponsors – has collected more than 113 tons of nonperishable and canned food items.
2009 Sack Hunger Game-Day Collection
The 2009 holiday season was brighter for local families thanks to the collective efforts of Raymond James Financial and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Glazer Family Foundation. Before Thanksgiving, four Tampa Bay area food banks received a total of 10,067 pounds of nonperishable and canned food items and $1,200 thanks to the “Sack Hunger” program led by these community minded-partners. Since the program’s launch six years ago, the Bucs and Raymond James, with support from other corporate sponsors, have built a successful plan of action responsible for gathering a cumulative total over 113 tons of nonperishable and canned food items.
Buccaneers fans who attended the November 22, 2009, game against the New Orleans Saints supported the program by bringing nonperishable food items to the stadium. Representatives from America’s Second Harvest, Tampa Jewish Family Services, Metropolitan Ministries and Trinity Café were on hand to talk with guests and answer questions about the work of their respective organizations as they prepared for the holidays.
A special cheer goes out to fans who joined the effort to help Sack Hunger in Tampa Bay.
Due to the increased need in our community (such as a 40% increase in the number of families requesting assistance from Pinellas County food banks in July through September 2009), Raymond James Financial extended the food collection at its international headquarters in St. Petersburg through mid-December.
Through the generosity of its associates, Raymond James Financial donated an additional 675 pounds of non-perishable food items to the St. Petersburg Free Clinic, which not only provides services through its programs, but supplies 60 other community organizations with food for those in need.
