TAMPA, Fla. _ Tom Brady has yet to handle his first snap as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer and he may still need a map to find his way to Raymond James Stadium.
But the six-time Super Bowl winner and his wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, are already making a difference in their new community.
The couple has made a sizable donation to Feeding Tampa Bay, the group announced on its Twitter page Tuesday. It comes as the nonprofit is facing a 40% increase in demand as newly unemployed people turn to food banks for help feeding their families. In normal times, Feeding Tampa Bay serves more than 700,000 hungry people in a 10-county region, providing more than 5 million meals a month.
The gift will pay for 750,000 meals, the group said, but it is not disclosing the amount.
The non-profit used to tell donors that a $1 would pay for up to 10 meals, putting the donation in the range of $75,000. But that ratio no longer holds as panic buying and a subsequent drop in food donations from grocery stores means that the group has been forced to pay for food that once was donated.
Feeding Tampa Bay is the largest food rescue and distribution organization in the community. It has mobilized during the coronavirus to provide thousands of meals to children who normally eat breakfast and lunch at schools, and to seniors whose communities have limited or banned visitors.
Last week, the Tampa Bay Rays committed $250,000 to Feeding Tampa Bay, $100,000 in the form of a donation and another $150,000 in matching funds for an online virtual food drive.
Brady, 42, signed a two-year, $50 million contract with the Bucs in March that includes nearly $9 million in performance incentives.
Moving to Tampa ended his 16 years as honorary co-chairman of Best Buddies Challenge: Hyannis Port, a nonprofit that advocates for people with Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy and other intellectual and developmental disabilities, typically by pairing them with students.
Brady was also reported to have donated $100,000 to a Hurricane Harvey relief fund set up in 2017 by Houston Texans linebacker J.J. Watt.
