Donate + volunteer

• Feeding Tampa Bay serves an enormous nine-county area, and is always looking for help. You can donate money to the organization, or bring food to one of its resource centers. FTB also has an Emergency Response Volunteer Team which serves meals to the community in times of need.

St. Pete resources

• Need to do laundry? Free-to-use machines are available at the Easy Kleen Laundromat (2970 54th Ave. S.) from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and also for 24 hours a day at Allendale United Methodist Church (3803 Haines Rd. N.). More locations are expected to open soon.

Tampa resources

• The McKay Bay Scalehouse (112 S. 34th St.) is extending its hours, and will open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the week, and 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the weekend. That’s where residents can drop off debris and waste. Reminder: You must bring proof of residency like a driver’s license or other government-issued ID to use the facility.

Other community resources

• There are at least six Tampa-based restaurants handing out meals throughout the week, including Willa’s, Oak and Ola, Buddy Brew, and Supernatural Food and Wine. Find out where they’ll be until Friday, Oct. 4.

• Paws for Literacy | Tuesday, Oct. 1 + Thursday Oct. 3 | 10:30-11:30 a.m. | Humane Society of Tampa Bay | Free | Bring the kiddo down to spend time with for-adoption animals while improving their reading skills.
• Tim Burton Pizza Tuesdays | Tuesday, Oct. 1 | 6-8 p.m. | United Skates of America, Tampa | $10 | Celebrate the director every Tuesday this October with skating, bottomless cheese pizza, and a movie.
• Clay Witch Workshop | Tuesday, Oct. 1 | 6-8 p.m. | Practically Pikasso, St. Petersburg | $38 | Create a witchy clay masterpiece as Halloween looms on the horizon.

• Mayor’s Food Truck Fiesta | Wednesday, Oct. 2 | 11 a.m.-2 p.m. | The Square at Lykes Gaslight Park, Tampa | Price of purchase | Spruce up your lunch break with eats from a local food truck at this monthly event.
• Ghost Buildings: Places That Haunt St. Pete’s Past | Wednesday, Oct. 2 | 6-7 p.m. | University of South Florida Nelson Poynter Memorial Library, St. Petersburg | $10 | “Morbid” Manny Leto shares tales of since vanished St. Pete builds that still haunt our collective imagination.
• Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers | Wednesday, Oct. 2 | 7 p.m. | Amalie Arena | $15+ | The Bolts are getting ready for the new season with a clash against the reigning champs.

• The National Hurricane Center is still monitoring potential storm systems, including a disturbance with 50% chance of development in the next seven days. A reminder: the Atlantic hurricane season continues through the end of November. (WFLA)

• More and more harrowing images of Hurricane Helene’s devastation continue to emerge. The damage was far-reaching, including some of the worst-hit areas like Shore Acres, Pinellas County’s beachfront cities, Davis Islands, and Gulfport. (WFLA)

• No. 5. That’s where Tampa ranked in WalletHub’s list of “Best Foodie Cities in America.” The Cigar City moved up one spot from last year’s rankings, compiled via factors like restaurant quality, grocery affordability, and number of food festivals. St. Pete ranked No. 34.

• The records keep piling up for Mike Evans. The legendary Buccaneers wide receiver caught a touchdown in Sunday’s win against the Eagles to become the team’s all-time scoring leader. Evans is just three touchdown catches away from his 100th — a feat achieved by only 10 players in NFL history.

• The first day of October. In Tampa Bay, you can enjoy the tenth month of the year with seasonal fun, including pumpkin patches, fall festivals, and autumnal adventures. Or, seek out a sweet treat, perhaps one with the aroma of pumpkin spice.

• What are the Rays’ main concerns ahead of the offseason? Get game coverage, analysis, insights, interviews, and more from local experts of the Tampa Bay Rays with Locked On’s daily podcasts.

• Which card now features 0% APR Into 2026? This card. (ICYMI, experts say balance transfer cards are one of the best-kept secrets for managing credit card debt.)*

• The most popular answer was the 2010s, with 36% of the vote, but it wasn’t that recent.
• Next up was the 2000s, with 33% of the vote, but that’s also not far enough back.
• For the 18% who said the 1990s, congratulations. You win a gold star and some baggy jeans.
• And 13% might be a little too neon nostalgic, and guessed the 1980s.