February Was Not Looking like the Month of Love for the Tampa Gluten Free Food Pantry, but then Hearts Poured Out

February is the month that we celebrate love, but there was not a lot of love and GF food donations being given to the Tampa Gluten Free Food Pantry at the start of the month.  All of the donations from the Gluten Free Holiday Food Drive had long since been given away and eaten by hungry families in need.  I sent e-mails to several gluten free companies asking for donations, but they either did not respond or they e-mailed back saying I needed to e-mail a different contact within the company.  There were also not a lot of donations being given at the local level and the pantry shelves were looking very bare.  I would keep GF food on the shelves by madly searching the internet for printable coupons and then buying GF nonperishable foods on sale at local health food stores and grocery stores. 

The end of February finally brought some love and food to the Tampa Gluten Free Food Pantry.  We would like to thank the Largo Gluten Free For Life Support Group for bringing nonperishable GF food to their February meeting.  This food was a big help!  It is amazing what a big difference we can make in the community if we each just give a little.  If everyone gives a little GF food, that can add up to a lot of GF food provided for GF families in need.

Gluten Free Friends of Tampa would also like to thank Udi's Gluten Free Foods for showing a lot of love to the Tampa Gluten Free Food Pantry.  Udi's donated loaves of GF whole grain bread that we have stored in the freezer at the Metropolitan Ministries Metro Market.  Udi's also donated all four types of their delicious gluten free granolas!  I know that many families in need will find joy in being able to eat these Udi's food donations.  For those of you who are not familiar with Udi's gluten free baked goods, you should definitely check out their website at http://udisglutenfree.com.  If you are an Udi's fan already, you should definitely check out their website to see their new gluten free products that just came out such as their new GF frozen pizzas, GF brownie bites, and their GF muffin tops.

When I left Metropolitan Ministries today after restocking the Gluten Free Food Pantry, I was very happy because the GF Food Pantry section looked much better than before!  I hope that March brings many GF food donations.  My next blog posting will be on plans for the month of March.  We are hoping to do a Spring Holiday GF Food Drive and leave blue barrels at several local health food stores.  More details coming soon....If anyone wants to donate, these are the items most needed for a Gluten Free "Everyday Box of Hope":

*Gluten Free Cereal
*Gluten Free Oatmeal
*Gluten Free Canned Fruit
*Gluten Free Bread
*Gluten Free Peanut Butter
*Gluten Free Jam/Jelly
*Gluten Free Soup
*Gluten Free Pasta
*Gluten Free Tomato Sauce
*Gluten Free Rice
*Gluten Free Beans
*Gluten Free Desserts (GF cookies, GF brownies, GF cake mix, etc.)

 Thank you again to everyone who is willing to help!  Please spread the word to let people know about the Tampa Gluten Free Food Pantry!