Food donations
PERISHABLES NOTE: For info on where to donate on Saturday mornings and afternoons, including fresh, perishable food, scroll below to Lifeline Ministries and Christ the King Lutheran Church. They're in Largo, just over the bridge from Indian Rocks.
IRB food pantry
Indian Rocks Beach is proud to house the Beach Community Food Pantry, serving more than 600 food-insecure people in IRB and surrounding communities. The volunteer-run pantry is a mission of Calvary Episcopal Church, where it is located.
Accepted donation items
• Unopened non-perishable food like soup, canned fruit, cereal, rice, pasta, pasta sauce, canned vegetables, peanut butter, jelly, and more.
• Pet food, wet or dry.
• Daily care items, including diapers, toilet paper and toiletries.
• Monetary donations are also welcome.
How to donate
Place all donations in a plastic bag.
• Drop off: You can donate nonperishable items anytime, day or night, by leaving bagged items inside the blue donation barrel just outside the church’s main door and the pantry's entrance.
• In-person: You can donate during pantry hours on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon and Thursdays from 5 to 7 p.m. You can also leave food with the church office Monday through Friday.
Learn more
Beach Community Food Pantry
Open Wednesday 10 a.m. to noon and Thursday 5 to 7 p.m. (but you can donate anytime)
1615 1st Street (one block behind Guppy’s)
727-595-2374
Get directions
Plumlee Vacation Rentals Drop-off
A donation bin for nonperishables can be found at the main office of Plumlee Vacation Rentals, a division of Plumlee Gulf Beach Realty, a family business in Indian Rocks Beach. Plumlee has been a friend and partner to Vacation Donations from the beginning.
Food goes to the Beach Pantry (above), so the same guidelines apply.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday
Address: 417 1st St.
Phone: 866-542-2648
Other food donation resources
Lifeline Ministries, at St. Jerome Catholic Church
You can drop off unopened nonperishable food anytime 24/7 in the chapel or you can go during pantry hours and donate perishables and frozen items. Check out their website for a detailed list of their preferred foods.
Hours: Wednesdays 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and on the last Saturday of each month from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Address: 10895 Hamlin Blvd., Largo. In the Ed Kilroy building at the northeast corner of the parish property. Donations of food brought to the chapel can be left in the wooden roller bins inside the foyer area.
Christ the King Lutheran Ministries
Every Saturday afternoon, Christ the King Lutheran Ministries accepts and hands out food -- including unopened perishables and frozen foods. It's only a couple miles from the beach!
Hours: 1-4 p.m. on Saturdays
Address: 11220 Oakhurst Road
Largo, FL 33774
Phone: 727-595-2117
Feeding Tampa Bay
Feeding Tampa Bay focuses on providing food to nearly 1 million food-insecure families in the 10-county area of West Central Florida, which includes Pinellas County and Indian Rocks Beach. The Beach Community Food Pantry is a partner of Feeding Tampa Bay, which, in turn, is part of the national Feeding America network. If you’re in the area for a longer period or live in the 10-county area, check out their website for ways you can volunteer or donate food or funds. They’re a wonderful organization!
BuyNothing Facebook group and the OLIO app
The BuyNothing Project allows people to share leftover food and other stuff. It operates through Facebook. It's not practical for visitors, but is a great resource for local owners and property managers. The local group is called Buy Nothing Belleair/Indian Rocks Beach/Largo. BuyNothing calls itself a worldwide gift economy network "in which the true wealth is the web of connections formed between people." There's also the relatively new app called OLIO, developed in the UK. The local community app connects neighbors with each other to help them “share more, care more and waste less.” People can post the food they would otherwise throw away and neighbors on the app can claim it. The app is not well-known locally, but it is available for download. If you use it, let us know how it went!