TAMPA — Tony March was on the set of the Today show in New York, about to be interviewed by Al Roker, when he had his first close encounter with the coronavirus.
A member of the show’s crew had tested positive. With March’s history of pneumonia and other health issues, it was a sobering reminder that he is more susceptible than most to the virus.
March, 69, rose from poverty to make a fortune as the owner of car dealerships. He was invited on the show to talk about his philanthropy and volunteerism. That included hundreds of hours at Metropolitan Ministries in Tampa, where he cooked meals, served food and washed dishes for families staying at the shelter.
Since returning from New York in March, he has stayed home.
“I miss it probably more than anyone else in Tampa or the world because that’s my life,” he said. “But I have to quarantine until there is a vaccine.”
It’s not just seniors who no longer feel they can answer the call for help, said Tim Marks, chief executive officer and president of Metropolitan Ministries.
Corporations that once encouraged employees to volunteer now have most staff working from home. And the reopening of schools and colleges meant the group lost younger volunteers.
As a result, the nonprofit has lost about 60 percent of its volunteers at a time when it already was struggling to cope with record levels of need.
The group needs about 900 volunteers, Marks said, and was getting by with about 500 until schools reopened.
This week, it could call on only about 135 volunteers. Fewer still are signed up for next week.
That is putting pressure on the group’s staff and remaining volunteers. In addition to a shelter that houses about 140 families, the group provides financial aid to families struggling to pay rent and delivers meals to seniors and others who are afraid to leave home because they are at high risk from the virus.
And three days a week, about 200 families turn up for a drive-through food pantry at the nonprofit’s campus on Tampa Street.
“Three days a week — Monday, Wednesday, Friday — they’re in that parking lot, you know, and you can feel the heat,” Marks said. “I’m concerned about staff, I’m concerned about volunteers, because we’re going to be at it for a while, and we’re going to be getting ready for the holidays here shortly.”
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Other local nonprofits also need more help.
Florida Dream Center, a Pinellas nonprofit that tackles poverty and helps victims of human trafficking, said it has hung onto only a small number of the 6,500 volunteers it had last year.
“We’ve had very few volunteers since COVID-19 started,” said executive director Steve Cleveland. “We’re trying to rebuild now and get people to come back.”
The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay closed its traveler’s aid program at Tampa International Airport for about two months because volunteers were concerned about the risk of infection, said spokesman Ken Gibson. The service reopened in July.
While there are fewer helpers at Metropolitan Ministries, there is no let up in the demand for help.
On Wednesday, the line of cars waiting for boxes of groceries at its food pantry snaked back onto Tampa Street.
People in about 200 cars received cartons of eggs, produce and other staples in just two hours.
Milena Reyna pulled her car through at about 10:40 a.m.
She had to take leave from her job as a pharmacist with CVS after her 1-year-old son contracted the coronavirus. She was able to get payments through the Family Medical Leave Act, but that money eventually ran out.
Her husband is working, but it’s been a struggle to stay on top of their expenses. The couple bought a new home near Linebaugh Avenue in October and have a mortgage and student loans to pay in addition to everyday bills.
“House, water, electric — he’s paying everything,” Reyna said of her husband.
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Her groceries were loaded into her car by Dwaine Zitko, who along with wife, Sam Zitko, completed his first day volunteering Wednesday.
The couple met while serving in the U.S. Air Force and normally volunteer at Grace Family Church, but it closed its food kitchen because of the pandemic.
Zitko, a former F-16 flight instructor, said he’s not thinking about the risk of the coronavirus.
“There’s a fulfillment from helping someone else,” said Zitko, 69. “It takes the focus off me and puts it on someone else.”
Want to help?
Local nonprofits say they need more volunteers during the pandemic.
Metropolitan Ministries: https://www.metromin.org/how-you-can-help/volunteer/
Feeding Tampa Bay: https://feedingtampabay.org/volunteer/
Crisis Center of Tampa Bay: https://www.crisiscenter.com/get-involved/volunteer/
Florida Dream Center: http://floridadreamcenter.org/volunteer
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