Captain Fear joined Buccaneer players, cheerleaders, and staff members for a special field day celebration.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and The Mosaic Company celebrated the opening of their fifth school food pantry Friday morning at Robinson Elementary School in Plant City as part of their ongoing Tackling Hunger fueled by Mosaic partnership.
The new pantry will serve students and families from both Robinson Elementary and nearby Turkey Creek Middle School, expanding access to food resources in an area where many families face food insecurity.
The pantry will be operated by Feeding Tampa Bay, a member of the national hunger relief network Feeding America. Organizers say the pantry will help support the more than 650 students and their families connected to the two schools.
Community leaders, educators, and nonprofit partners gathered for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which highlighted the impact of the partnership since its launch in 2021.
Kourtney Sanchez, Chief Impact Officer for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, emphasized that the pantry represents the power of organizations working together to address hunger in local communities.
“This is truly a testament to the power of community partnerships,” Sanchez said during the ceremony. “This isn’t something the Buccaneers, Mosaic, Feeding Tampa Bay, or the schools can do alone. It’s something we all have to do together to take care of one another.”
Sanchez noted that the Robinson Elementary pantry will add to the large number of meals already provided through the Tackling Hunger partnership over the past five years. “This pantry alone is going to support nearly 1,500 students and their families, which adds to the 780,000 meals that we’ve already provided alongside our partners at Mosaic.”
The program was first launched in 2021 to address food insecurity among students in the Tampa Bay region. By building food pantries directly on school campuses, the initiative makes it easier for families to access groceries and other essentials in a familiar, trusted environment.
The Robinson Elementary location marks the fifth pantry built through the partnership, joining existing locations at:
• Bowling Green Elementary School
• Broward Elementary School
• Lamb Elementary School
• Pinecrest Elementary School
During the ceremony, Jackie Barron—Senior Manager of Stakeholder Relations & Advocacy Communications from Mosaic—reflected on the growth of the partnership and its continued focus on strengthening communities through collaboration.
The partnership emphasized that while each organization contributes its own strengths and resources, the program’s success is driven by their collective effort toward a shared goal.
“When we work together, the power of partnership really comes through,” Barron said moments before the ribbon cutting. “Everyone plays a role in making these projects successful.”
The initiative is especially critical in a region where many families lack consistent access to nutritious food—affecting as many as one in five children, according to Feeding Tampa Bay. School-based pantries are designed to help close that gap by providing families with regular access to food, while also connecting them to additional community resources.
Leaders at Robinson Elementary say the new pantry will also support broader family engagement efforts. Plans for the space include cooking demonstrations and parenting classes that will help families learn how to prepare nutritious meals and make the most of available resources. Students from Turkey Creek Middle School will also be involved through leadership programs that connect both campuses.
Many families have children attending both schools, making the shared pantry a valuable resource for the surrounding community.
Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the celebration continued outside as Buccaneers players, staff members, cheerleaders, and the team’s mascot, Captain Fear, joined students for a special field day celebration.
Children rotated through a variety of games and activities with the players, including tug-of-war competitions, football throwing challenges, and other outdoor games.
The event created an opportunity for students to interact with the team while celebrating the new resource available to their school community. Many students also showed off their Buccaneers pride by dressing up in team apparel and other Buccaneers-themed gear.
For organizers, the day represented more than just the opening of a new facility. It was a celebration of the partnership between local schools, nonprofits, and businesses working together to address a critical need while investing in the well-being of local families.
As the Tackling Hunger partnership moves forward, organizers say they plan to continue strengthening the existing pantry locations while exploring ways to deepen their impact across the Tampa Bay region.
By expanding access to food and community resources, leaders hope the initiative will continue to support students and families while helping build stronger, healthier communities.
