Bay News 9: Farmers Feeding Florida program brings seafood to food banks and markets

BY Matt Lackritz Tampa

TAMPA, Fla. — At Feeding Tampa Bay’s market, a partnership with the Feeding Florida Program is bringing clams to its freezers.

The program is Farmers Feeding Florida, which partners with farmers, ranchers, and more to distribute extra or unmarketable products to those in need.

Co-owner of Cedar Key Aquaculture Farms, Timothy Solano, is the supplier of the clams.

What You Need To Know

• Co-Owner of Cedar Key Aquaculture Farms, Timothy Solano, is working with Feeding Florida to bring clams to food banks across the state
•  The Farmers Feeding Florida program was launched last summer
• Feeding Tampa Bay has been supplied with 30,000 pounds of clams so far

Solano said he’s thrilled to be a part of the program and added that Farmers Feeding Florida offers a much needed safety net for his own farm business.

“This is giving us the support line, knowing that we have another sale coming as soon as these holidays turn off, that we’re going to still be able to sell product,” Solano said. “I’m not going to have to tell my guys, hey, we’re actually gonna have to cut back hours again as soon as we get done with the holiday season.”

Solano’s farm employs around 20 people. However, last summer, their major customer told them they no longer needed their products.

Solano said it left a major hole in their farm sales, and a big gap in what to do next.

“We found out in June that they gave us about a month’s heads up that we were going to be having to find a new customer,” he said.

This led to laying off some employees and cutting back on work hours for others.

While Solano was working hard to find new customers, he got a call from Feeding Florida about Farmers Feeding Florida.

President and CEO Thomas Mantz said this is the first time they’ve been able to bring in frozen clams and meet that supply.

“There’s a place for canned peas, but more importantly, there’s a better place for fresh, healthy products, and clams are one of those,” Mantz said.

Feeding Tampa Bay has been supplied with 30,000 pounds of clams so far. That’s equal to 25,000 meals.

Of Farmers Feeding Florida’s entire $28 million budget, $700,000 is set aside for seafood.

That seafood budget includes clams, shrimp, and salmon, while looking into the future of providing mullet and tilapia seafood as well.

Originally Published Jan 2, 2026 by Bay News 9. Click here to see full news video: https://baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2026/01/02/clams-feeding-florida-farmers-seafood-