30 Years of Giving Back: A Spotlight on 10 Charities We’ve Proudly Supported

Our team loves getting involved in our community. In fact, “Giving Back” is one of our company’s core values. As we continue celebrating Bay Food’s 30th anniversary this year, we’re proud to highlight Tampa Bay nonprofits – and national and international charities serving our region – that we’ve supported.

Embracing charity in Tampa Bay and beyond

At Bay Food Brokerage, we foster a company culture that places great importance on serving our community. Simply put, we believe in giving back and getting involved.

This means members of our team:

• Serve on nonprofit boards and committees
• Volunteer their time to charities
• Belong to industry and business organizations

As a company, we:

• Organize group volunteer activities
• Collect food and school supplies at our office
• Sponsor fundraising events
• Engage in nonprofit corporate partnerships

Also, we offer every member of our team paid time off to volunteer with a charity of their choice throughout the year.

A Top-Down Approach to Supporting Tampa Bay Nonprofits

Dedication to “Giving Back” starts at the top, with President and CEO Cammie Chatterton setting an admirable example for our team. Cammie, who learned the importance of helping those less fortunate from her parents, continuously encourages and inspires Bay Food staff to support Tampa Bay nonprofits and those in need.

Cammie currently serves on boards for three Tampa Bay nonprofits (noted in the list below). Her charitable endeavors have been widely recognized and applauded. For example, she was a finalist for Tampa Bay Business & Wealth magazine’s 2022 Philanthropist of the Year Award.

10 Charities We’ve Proudly Supported

Over the past 30 years, we’ve supported more charities and charitable events than we can possibly recall or recount. But, here are 10 to which we’ve dedicated significant energy and resources over the years. These are especially near and dear to our hearts.

1. Feeding Tampa Bay: The leading movement to end hunger in Tampa Bay. Our CEO and president Cammie Chatterton currently serves on the board of directors and the capital campaign committee.
2. Jesuit High School: A 501(c)(3) Catholic, Jesuit college preparatory school located in Tampa. The school’s motto is “Men for Others.” Cammie currently serves on the board of trustees. She connected to the school because her son and our executive vice president, Chris Chatterton, attended.
3. A Kid’s Place: A residential program that serves children from birth to age 18 who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect or abandonment. Bay Food hosts school clothing and school supply drives and has been an annual picnic sponsor. And, Cammie is currently a co-chair of their capital campaign to grow their campus.
4. Tampa Bay Chamber: A Tampa not-for-profit business membership organization that helps promote the businesses and business interests of members. Cammie serves on the executive board of directors and was recently the committee vice chair for the organization’s 2023 Small Business of the Year Awards.
5. Metropolitan Ministries: Offers services for at-risk and homeless families in underserved and impoverished communities. The Bay Food team collects items for the barrel drives five times a year. Also, members of our team volunteer as a group at the Holiday Tent twice every year and support with donations year-round.
6. OneBlood: Aims to enhance the health and well-being of others through work with blood and stem cell products and by facilitating scientific research. For the past few years, the OneBlood bus has visited our office quarterly to make it easy for our staff to donate blood.
7. Get Live 45 Foundation: Founded by Tampa Bay Buccaneers player Devin White, the organization’s mission is to give the magic of hope and comfort during life’s meaningful moments to Tampa-area foster children. Bay Food has sponsored a school supply drive and supported other events for this charity.
8. Florida 1.27: A movement of churches and individuals taking action together to radically change the foundation of the child welfare system in Florida. Its CarePortal network provides preventative support for struggling families before foster care is a necessity and intervention to support foster families when foster care is a necessity. Bay Food is a sponsor and donates to this organization throughout the year to families in need.
9. Special Olympics: Offers programming in sports, health, education and community building. Special Olympics is tackling the inactivity, stigma, isolation and injustice that people with intellectual disabilities (ID) face. We’ve sponsored events to support this amazing initiative.
10. Bob’s Big Give: A grassroots organization donating 100% of all proceeds to those less-fortunate. EVP Chris Chatterton serves on the board of directors.

Looking to work with a food broker in the Southeast that’s dedicated to serving its community? Contact us today to learn more.