Metropolitan Ministries Holiday Tent family volunteers

How Your Family Can Give the Gift of HOPE at the Metropolitan Ministries Holiday Tent

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The holidays are all about joy, family and giving — and this year, your family can make an even bigger impact by helping others right here in Tampa Bay.

Each holiday season, Metropolitan Ministries opens its iconic Holiday Tents, turning them into bustling hubs of generosity and love. Inside, volunteers help provide food, toys and hope to families who might otherwise go without.

This year, with a high need across our community, Metropolitan Ministries expects to serve 30,000 families. That means they need our help — families like yours — to make it happen.

A Family Tradition of Giving Back

Serving together is one of the best ways to teach kids about gratitude and kindness. At the Holiday Tent, families with children ages 8–13 can volunteer alongside a parent or guardian, while teens 14 and older can serve on their own.

From sorting and packing food boxes to handing out toys and holiday meals, there are plenty of ways to help — and lots of smiles to share.

“Every shift feels like a celebration,” says one volunteer mom. “You see your kids light up when they realize they can make a difference. It’s a moment that stays with them.”

The Joy of Sharing Hope

Something special happens when you volunteer together. You discover that helping others fills your own heart, too.

Whether you’re helping a parent choose a gift for their child or loading a Thanksgiving meal into someone’s car, those little moments create lifelong lessons about compassion, community and the power of sharing hope.

Other Ways Kids Can Share Hope

  • Pack food boxes together at the Holiday Tent.
  • Make handmade cards to tuck into food boxes or toy bags.
  • Host a toy or food drive with friends, school, church or sports team.
  • Donate part of their allowance to help other children have a brighter Christmas.
  • Say “thank you” to volunteers and families. Kind words go a long way!
Volunteer as a family at the Metropolitan Ministries Holiday Tent.
Volunteering as a family at the Metropolitan Ministries Holiday Tent.

Impact: Your Time Matters

Each year, 15,000+ volunteers serve in the Holiday Tents, giving over 150,000 hours of their time. That’s the equivalent of $4.5 million in labor costs. Your time absolutely matters.

Can’t Volunteer? You Can Still Share Hope

If your family’s schedule is packed, consider organizing a holiday donation drive instead! Schools, scout troops, workplaces, churches and neighborhoods all rally each year to collect the most-needed items for local families in need.

This year’s biggest needs include:

  • Nonperishable foods: stuffing, canned yams, canned veggies and fruits, cranberry sauce, rice, boxed potatoes, gravy, cereal, peanut butter, soups and dessert mixes.
  • Toys for children and teens: new, unwrapped gifts like sports equipment/apparel, arts and crafts kits, board games, electronics and gift cards.

Every donated item goes straight into the hands of a local family in need — and every little bit helps. You can also shop the virtual store: metromin.org/holiday-central.

Volutneers unloading donations from truck for the Metropolitan Ministries Holiday Tent

The Top 5 Most-Needed Holiday Items

  1. Frozen turkeys and hams
  2. Canned yams
  3. Cereal
  4. Cranberry sauce
  5. Gifts for teens ages 13-17; think sports equipment/apparel, skateboards, bicycles, earbuds, art kits, accessories, board games and gift cards.

Find a Tent, Find Hope!

  • Hillsborough/Tampa
    Rome Yard
    2609 N. Rome Ave., Tampa
  • W Pasco/Trinity
    Generations Christian Church
    1540 Little Road, Trinity
  • E Pasco/Dade City
    Metropolitan Ministries
    13703 17th, Dade City
  • Pinellas/St. Petersburg
    Holy Cross Catholic Church
    7851 54th N., St. Petersburg

Other Donation Drop-off Locations:

Northern Hillsborough
St. James United Methodist Church
16202 Bruce B Downs Blvd.
Tampa

Central Pasco
Keystone Community Church
21010 State Road 54
Lutz

Share Hope. Change a Life.

When you give your time, your gifts or your heart, you’re doing more than just meeting a need — you’re building a stronger Tampa Bay.

This holiday season, show your children what hope looks like in action. Because when your family helps another family, you don’t just share food or gifts. You Share Hope.

Ready to get started?
Sign up to volunteer or host a donation drive today at metromin.org/holiday-central.

 

 

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