Food & Shelter

The Food Bank of Manatee partners with multiple non-profit agencies and churches in Manatee County who assist families in unstable or crisis situations. 

The program provides emergency family food and baby baskets to assist with immediate hunger relief and infant care items to get them through a crisis situation.

Eligibility

• Manatee County resident with children ages 0-17 
• Must be referred by an appropriate local agency

Phone: Referring agencies may request services at (941) 747-4655

Provider:  Meals of Wheels Plus of Manatee

Location:  811 23rd Avenue East, Bradenton

Hours:  Monday-Friday 7am-3:30pm

Basket distributions 8am-10:30am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Website: www.mealsonwheelsplus.org

This housing-focused shelter program gives families a safe place to live while they receive case management, seek/obtain employment, receive referrals for community partners, have life skills classes such as budgeting and parenting, while learning to demonstrate they can create and live within their budget before securing sustainable housing.  This program marries the key elements of basic needs (food and shelter) with case management to prepare them for the responsibility of independent living.  Each families stays in their own shelter room (similar to a college dorm room) with a private bathroom, while working on their case plan.

Eligibility

• Manatee County resident
• Homeless children, ages 0-17 years, and their mothers

Phone: (941) 575-5778

Provider: The Salvation Army

Location: 1204 14th Street West, Bradenton

Hours: 24 hours per day, 7 days per week

Website: https://salvationarmyflorida.org/manatee-county/

Program provides a nurturing, structure, protection, and stability to children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect. The Emergency Shelter is a licensed 12-bed facility where children are placed either immediately upon removal or when a placement breaks down for various reasons. These are short term placements ranging from 24 hours to a month. The three group homes are licensed to house 6 children each. The children placed in these homes are usually ones who have not been able to adjust or fit into a traditional foster family home.

Services also include: structure, stability, daily meals, transportation to and from school, behavior management system that provides opportunity to earn privilege's, client advocacy tasks, life skills, client plans.

Eligibility

• Manatee County resident
• Children 6-17 years old

Phone: (941) 345-1200 Ext 136

Provider: Manatee Children's Services

Location: Our Place Group home (confidential address), Boys Group Home 5731 2nd St W Bradenton, Fl 34207 and Girls' Group Home 4812 23rd St W Bradenton, Fl 34207

Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Website: https://www.manateechildrensservices.com/residential-services/

 A short-term residential program for youth ages 10-17 with 24-7 awake supervision by qualified and caring staff. We provide safe shelter, food, counseling, life skills education, and access to school for homeless and runaway youth, as well as youth in need of respite due to family conflict.

Eligibility

• Ages 10-17 years who have runaway, in risk of runaway, or at risk of being ejected from their home due to behavior

Phone: (941) 708-5850

Provider: Family Resources, Inc.

Location: 1001 9th Ave West, Bradenton, FL

Hours: 24 hours per day, 7 days per week

Website: www.family-resources.org

Program provides nutritional food to children, identified as homeless or at risk of homeless under the Manatee County School District’s Project Heart Program, by providing nonperishable food for the identified children to have on the weekends who would otherwise not have adequate access to food. The backpacks include 2 breakfast options, 2 lunch options, 2 dinner and snack options.

Eligibility

• School-aged Manatee County residents that have been determined by Manatee County School Board’s Project Heart Program to be homeless or at-risk of being homeless

Phone: (941) 896-7870

Provider: Feeding Empty Little Tummies (F.E.L.T.)

Location: 901 8th Ave. W, Palmetto, 34221

Hours: Varies

Website: www.feltinc.org