Each Thanksgiving since 2007, the Ryan Nece Foundation has celebrated the holiday with various members of the community who need to know they’re not forgotten. From delivering Thanksgiving dinner to adolescent boys at the Falkenburg Academy juvenile detention facility, to providing families with food and hygiene products, the Power of Giving Thanksgiving Celebration has evolved into a huge celebration of giving.
Since 2009, the Thanksgiving Celebration has fed up to 1,200 individuals each year in the University of South Florida area. Often, special guests including current and former Buccaneers players, Miss Florida, and more stop by to greet the families and help put smiles on the faces of those they meet. Families who are invited to attend the celebration are coordinated through the University Area Community Development Corporation and their partner agencies. Families receive a hot meal, entertainment, and a family portrait the night of the event, along with a box of food items to take home with them.
The Power of Giving Thanksgiving Celebration is made possible by our generous supporters: Metropolitan Ministries, University Area Community Development Corporation, Sweetbay/Winn-Dixie Super Markets, Feeding America Tampa Bay, and TECO. Additional donors over the years include Shutterbooth, Phase 5, Junior League of Tampa, Whatthebuc.net, MamaRazzi Foto, USF Sigma Chi, Domino’s Pizza, International Sign and Design, and BrandMunki. With the help of these supporters and approximately 175 volunteers each year, the foundation is able to help those in need experience the Power of Giving.
