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Donation Center Needs More Help

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By GEORGE WILKENS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 19, 2007

TAMPA PALMS - Lyn Cleland understands supply and demand.

The longtime New Tampa Holiday Donation Center volunteer is aware that the supply of donated food and gifts may fall short of Metropolitan Ministries' demand.

So, in addition to giving her time as a team leader at the large red-and-white tent at St. James United Methodist Church, Cleland scouted for bargains before Thanksgiving, discovering a great deal on a holiday meal staple: cranberry sauce.

"Is there a limit?" she asked at the Busch Boulevard Big Lots store, where cranberry sauce was on sale for 33 cents. She got the kind of "No" answer she likes and told the clerk to ring up the cranberry sauce: all four cases, plus the few loose cans.

The Temple Terrace resident's thrifty acquisition - turned donation - came in handy when the Thanksgiving food drive came up a tad short.

Cleland and nearly 100 other St. James members taking shifts staffing the New Tampa Holiday Donation Center from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily hope that Phase 2 of their drive proves more fruitful.

"We were down about 100 turkeys at Thanksgiving time," Cleland said during her tent leader duty one afternoon soon after its reopening Dec. 9 for Christmas donations. The charity's headquarters at 2002 N. Florida Ave. is also down on donations compared with last year, Cleland added.

Spokeswoman Ana Mendez confirmed that. "We are much, much lower than we were in 2005 and 2006," she said. "Right now, we've got close to 22,000 families registered to receive assistance," including 30,000 children in the Tampa Bay area.

The agency has received only a few thousand toys, she added. Traditionally, in biggest demand are gifts for infants and teens, especially teenage boys, Mendez said. In the food department, shortages include frozen turkeys, canned or packaged gravy and family-size boxes of gelatin.

Acknowledging that many people are busy with shopping and other holiday obligations, Cleland said she hopes donations improve before the New Tampa tent's closing at 6 p.m. on Dec. 23. "We're hoping a last-minute surge will help," she said. Volunteers said that happened just before Thanksgiving.

"The trailer is pretty empty right now," Cleland said of the trailer used to transport food and gifts to Metropolitan Ministries headquarters once fully packed with donations. "It's been very slow here."

A struggling economy may be partly to blame. "Gasoline is a dollar a gallon more than it was last year at this time," she pointed out.

Four hours into the day, the tent's multiple freezers held only three Christmas turkeys. The morning shift had received only 18 pounds of assorted foods, but also a $400 check.

The New Tampa tent is now in its fifth season. In partnership with Metropolitan Ministries, the St. James congregation opened and staffed the satellite center in December 2003, the nonprofit organization's first.

The nondenominational Christian organization founded in 1972 by 13 downtown Tampa churches helps homeless families and hungry people year-round.

The Christmas drive solicits the same foods sought for Thanksgiving but with additional emphasis on gifts for needy children, teens and adults.

TO HELP

WHAT: Metropolitan Ministries New Tampa Holiday Donation Center

WHEN: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily through Dec. 23

WHERE: Outside St. James United Methodist Church, 16202 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.

INFORMATION: Call (813) 209-1034 or visit www.metromin.org.

DONATION GUIDELINES

•Food should be canned or boxed (no glass).

•Requested items: gift certificate or frozen turkey, hot/cold cereal, cranberry sauce, dessert mixes (pies, cakes, cookies), bag or box of dry beans (1 pound size), canned black beans, canned fruit, canned vegetables, canned yams, canned or packaged gravy, boxed or canned potatoes, bag or box of rice (1 pound), bag or box of stuffing mix, family-size box of gelatin or pudding.

•Monetary donations and gift cards are welcome.

•No bicycles.

•For infants: rattles, early learning toys, cribs, bath toys.

•For ages 1 to 4: preschool play sets, toy cars/trucks, blocks, dress-up clothes, baby dolls (the organization serves a racially diverse population), make-believe play sets.

•Ages 5 to 11: clothing, action figures, board games, arts and crafts, fashion and baby dolls, play and building sets.

•Ages 12 to 17: sports equipment, art supplies, CDs, CD players, headphones, DVDs, electronic games/toys, gift sets (makeup, cologne, bath and body, manicure), watches, jewelry, cameras and film, clothing.

•Adults: gift sets, art and craft supplies, shirts/blouses, sweaters, shoes, wallets/purses, watches, pocket New Testament Bibles, spiritual bookmarks, books/Books on Tape.

Reporter George Wilkens can be reached at (813) 865-4847 or gwilkens@tampatrib.com.

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