Community Services/Non-Profits in Tampa, FL

“We love this place! It is spectacular! We had fun and great experience today. Just make sure you go in early so that you can find parking easily. Also, every 1st Thursday of the month the fee is $5/person. Not so sure if that will change later. But for now, every 1st Thurs of the month that special applies. The place is huge, they have play area, pony ride(extra $5/child), petting zoo, Thomas the train ride (additional fee), picnics shades area to rest we love the one by the lake with the fountain in the middle you'll see ducks and birds everywhere and you get to see the train stopping by as well. The place clean, restrooms available and sanitation as well. They have a barn for wedding, birthdays to rent, it's a beautiful place. We love the parrots so much we keep coming back on their nest. They also have zip lining for the kiddos to enjoy. The staff are awesome, helpful and friendly. I highly recommend this place to anyone with kids to enjoy and experience outdoor fun zoo.”

“Haven't bought a bike from here. But I did come for them to fix my sons bike. Good customer service. The bikes they do have there are high and rebuilt bikes. Definitely worth a look before going to buy a walmart bike. Also comes with warranty”

“My new favorite eatery. Even though it's for us the homeless of Tampa Bay. We are welcomed and treated as though we are paying customers. I would like to think all workers and volunteers for exceptional service and for providing a wonderful energy filled environment as myself and others in my situation get through these trying and difficult times. May God bless and fill your life with joy and prosperity.”

“My son has had the best time so far at the Bob Gilbertson Summer camp. The staff has been excellent! They are organized, kind, knowledgeable and to quote my son, "even make standing in line fun!" This has been a great experience so far!”

“I have been working with Brian he is very helpful and provides me with all the information I need. He is very patient and understanding. I have been trying to buy a house for years. I feel like the NACA program is a great fit for me. No money down and I can easily save and not be so stress out.”

“I feel very satisfied to have had the support of the CWS agency! I arrived here with my children and Kholoud, our social worker, always with a smile on her face, kind and attentive to guide us in our orientation process! Thank you all Luis, Daysel, Ana, María, Guddatta, Alba... Thank you all for your excellent management and dedication to my family... special thanks to Kholoud! God bless you! Super recommended”

“Fantastic!!! Just absolutely wonderful experience. Wonderful selection of food. The staff was friendly and helpful. They even had a place for children while the parent got the groceries.”

“First time here. We were looking for a new place to have fish for Lent. They had a Wonderful Fish ???? Dinner! 2 Huge pieces of great white fish, a Huge baked potato ????, nice Salad ????, hushpuppies and cake for desert. All for $12. The people were so friendly! Made us feel very welcome. Oh yeah and they have Steak on Fridays and they smelled so Wonderful and looked AMAZING! NEXT time Friday NOT during Lent we will have to get one of those Steaks!Then as a bonus for Friday they have a Band from 7:30 - 10:30. They started while we were still there and they were really good ???? We stayed until 8:30 but would like to have stayed longer!If you are looking for Great food and terrific sounds on a Friday night then try Interbay 912 Moose Lodge. You will not be disappointed.”

“Just started coming here within the last month and it’s the best gym I’ve been to in a while. Staff is great and you get a good quality workout. Love this gym”

“Location: Northwest Family YMCA is conveniently located in Tampa, FL, providing easy access for residents.Parking: A notable perk is the availability of free parking in a dedicated lot, ensuring members have a hassle-free experience.Price: The monthly membership fee ranges from $35 to $55, offering different plans to accommodate various budgets.Staff: Patrons often commend the staff for their friendliness, contributing to a welcoming atmosphere.Wait time: The facility experiences peak hours, leading to potential congestion. To optimize the experience, it is recommended to visit during late morning or evening hours.Environment: Housed in an older building, the facility faces challenges with plumbing issues in restrooms. Despite efforts to maintain cleanliness, there may be occasional difficulties, especially in locker rooms due to children.Decor: Adding a touch of festivity, the facility decorates according to seasons and occasions such as Christmas, Halloween, and Thanksgiving, enhancing the overall ambiance.Facilities:Fitness Classes: Members can choose from a diverse range of fitness classes, catering to different preferences and fitness levels.Courts: The availability of an indoor basketball court and an outdoor field adds versatility for events and games.Pool: The facility boasts a good-sized pool suitable for both recreational activities and lap swimming. However, its popularity with swim clubs, lessons, and kids might make finding an available lane for lap swimming challenging, potentially requiring lane sharing.Gym Area: While the gym area is functional, there's a notable difference compared to larger fitness centers like LA Fitness. Some equipment may be older but remains operational, providing basic fitness amenities.Patron Demographics: Northwest Family YMCA attracts a diverse range of patrons, including kids, teenagers, families, and retirees, fostering a community-oriented atmosphere.Overall Impression: Northwest Family YMCA emerges as an okay facility, notable for its family-friendly approach. Despite limitations in infrastructure and equipment variety compared to larger fitness chains, it maintains a positive environment with friendly staff and diverse offerings, making it a suitable choice for a broad demographic.”

“Dream Center is truly a special place. They are really making an impact in the community. It's amazing to watch them help with everything from activities to tutoring.”

“This food pantry is associated with a church in Carrollwood and has distribution hours, two days a week, Wednesday and Saturday. They are open Monday through Friday for volunteers to come and help with packing and distribution of food items that are donated from local grocery stores. My son started to volunteer here when he was a freshman in high school, which was more than six years ago, and now I volunteer a few days a week to help with packing the fresh food items. High school students can volunteer here on a regular basis for their community service hours that goes toward scholarships in the state of Florida. Monica Wilson, and Franny Tough as well as Carol. Are the stable employees. They keep everyone going.”

“The food was very good. The DJ apparently had no idea what was going on. The music was inappropriate for the event and venue ( Queen, Simon and Garfunkel, Adele,.....) and much TOO LOUD. Too loud for people to chat at the tables. People were forced to SHOUT say one another. This was not a rock concert, it was a dinner for about 100 people.”

“This program is excellent from the people who greet you at the reception to the teacher! It really exceeded my expectations, the way of teaching, the dedication to explaining each lesson, I really have learned a lot! Thanks to my teacher Christy, she is excellent”

“I love that the YMCA offers a variety of group exercise classes, including yoga, Pilates, Zumba, and cycling. There are classes for all fitness levels, so there's something for everyone. One of the things I love most about the YMCA is the variety of programs and services it offers.”

“I wandered over totally unannounced and Bhante A., sat and had a bit of a chat with me and used some prescient details to make some things clearer for me. I give the ultimate rating to any sanghe that actually practices the hospitality and compassion the Buddha emphasized. It reduces suffering nearly instanteously, it winds up ;) Thank you folks! Sadhu x 3 and much Metta to you ???”

“If you are an educator with HCPS or a Title 1 Charter school, you need to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity! Volunteers are extremely gracious, and organized!”

“If you’re visiting Tampa, you definitely need to visit this church. We went to visit the 10am mass and the music is so grandeur which is played for the King- our Lord Jesus Christ, as for me who is praising and a spectator, it made me feel like I’m at gates of heaven!”

“I have spoken with many ppl from Lifelink. They call you early not out of disrespect & they make that clear. They show you with a calm voice how much they wish they didn’t have to call & that they are sorry for your loss, but it’s time sensitive. They don’t mean to be insensitive. Your loved one is able to help ppl. It’s tough, I know I just lost my mom 6/30/21. My mom would have wanted to help others. They are honest with you & they tell you everything you need to know. If I ever pass I would like to be brought here. Very sweet ppl here. Greg S., Riza R. & Teresa A. They all were so kind & understanding. Thank you. ?”

“Mercy Full Project is an amazing shelter! Heydi and her team care so much and work so hard to get these animals into the right home! You can tell they are so passionate about helping the animals! People don’t understand when you adopt a pet, it is a 2 way street. You have to be a good fit too!I have seen skinny, scared, helpless dogs go in and happy, healthy, loving dogs come out! It’s a lot of work but they make it happen!”

“Shop is very clean and organized. It has a boutique feel to it, but pricing tends to be on the higher side. The employee was very nice but volunteers seemed unwilling to help when called which was disheartening to witness. The employee was very helpful though and willing to work with some of the pricing if we really needed to, unfortunately it was still outside our budget, but it was a very kind gesture. It's worth a visit if in the area.”

“I knew Kelly from Heid's Legacy when we were teenagers. She and her family were very kind and caring. Of course she's involved in dog rescue. I have donated to Heidi's Legacy knowing they're doing good work. Francine Holland, CPDT-KA FunWalks Dog Training”

“I learned Transcendental Meditation many years ago with my wife, but I was working long hours, raising a family, and drinking. I never did it regularly, twenty minutes twice a day. I would meditate occasionally and I even tried mindfulness instead. Then I retired, and my wife asked if I would drive her to a group meditation. When the teacher asked me how my practice was, I admitted that it was mostly good intentions. Jim's review of the practice was very helpful and I had a great meditation there. It really is effortless, but sometimes I make things harder for myself. We went back every month, and I've never skipped again. It's great to be able to shrug off that stress.”

“Like the ease of going in to shop and ask questions. You can pick those ladies brains, new leaders this is an info hub! And you can borrow (like a library) journey books and such, so troop is not always spending a ton of money. A bit pricey though.”

“Heart of Adoptions, Inc. guided us through the adoption process, from bringing us together with our newborn son all the way to finalizing our adoption. After four and a half years of waiting for an adoption placement, we couldn’t help but feel a lot of anxiety mixed in with all our hope. Amy is an amazing social worker and was always quick to respond to calls, texts, and emails. She gave us so much peace of mind as we went through all the steps of adopting our little baby boy and answered our many questions with patience and grace. Right away, Amy processed all the basic information that the state of Florida needed to approve our home study and talked us through the steps Florida does in adoptions.Once Amy cleared us to fly from Illinois to Florida, she connected us to Gift of Adoption, an organization that helped us with adoption expenses through a grant. She started calling our little baby by the name we had picked out for him even though we hadn’t been physically present to sign anything yet, and it warmed our hearts that she was eager to prove to us that the connection was real and that we were really going to be parents at last. It is plain to see that she has a real heart for adoptive families and wants to make the connections happen as smoothly as possible. Amy went above and beyond by checking in with our little guy at the hospital and picking him up when he was discharged, meeting us at her office, which was closer to where we were staying. She cared for him while she waited for us to navigate through traffic and even swaddled him up in a blanket and beanie just to do a quick photo shoot before readying him for his car seat. We adore those pictures and appreciate all the love and care she showed our son as he waited for us to arrive.The Heart of Adoptions, Inc. agency had steps and paperwork so streamlined that we were often surprised by how quickly everything was processed. Amy was able to use prior experience with Illinois agencies to anticipate any problems or questions they might have, so she had our ICPC coordinated and approved in less than a week, and we were able to travel home with our son much sooner than we ever expected. Heart of Adoptions coordinated well with our Illinois social worker for follow-up visits and information, and the law offices of Jeanne T. Tate that work with Heart of Adoptions did a great job taking over the next steps and walking us through to finalization. When our case was closed, Amy made sure we knew all the details of our account, had everything processed according to our wishes, and included a ledger for tax purposes. We can look back and reflect that Heart of Adoptions, Inc. has done an excellent job of making everything in our adoption process go smoothly, and it is thanks to the hard work of social workers like Amy and her team that we have become parents for our darling little boy.”

“Dr. Pancholy & My Therapist Cole Dean have been Godsends they have listened , helped , counseled and given resources and respect they have been essential in keeping my life moving in a positive forward direction I have never come across any rude workers just compassion and grace they earn the Gracepoint name and if any one has a negative it only takes your own experience to realize some problems may be just personal but give them a chance at what they do best ,Thank you to you all !!”

“I really enjoyed shopping here this past Saturday. Their prices are on the steeper end, but it makes sense since the quality of their clothes and shoes are often new with tags or very gentility warn mid/high end items. They often have sales which is nice too. The store was not busy when I went. I ended up with a brand new with tags pair of Colombia athletic shorts for $6. I love that shopping here is supporting a mission to help survivors of Domestic Violence. I look forward to coming back soon.”

“Went here for Finance Park; great experience. It teaches kids about the real world and why it's important to be educated. The simulation was a great, authentic environment for the real world. The only thing that was not great was the staff. They were a bit biased on how they treated the schools. Some of them have little patience even though they work with kids. Overall, it was a good experience.”

“Seniors in Service is a wonderful organization! They provide companion services for my dad and he couldn't be happier. The companion checks in via phone or in person, and also helps with errands. He is patient and kind...just an awesome person. This is an important service for the elderly and they're doing a great job. Two thumbs up!”