The Tampa Foundation’s annual One Table Thanksgiving dinner is scheduled for 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22, 2026, at the Tampa Convention Center. The gathering is intended to bring first responders together with community members, Florida Politics reported.
The dinner is open to community members who obtain tickets, alongside first responders; sponsorships of up to $25,000 were offered to help fund it, according to Florida Politics. Foundation Executive Director Gennie Swenson said the gathering gives residents a chance to meet first responders as neighbors and thank them in person.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, a former Tampa police chief, is expected to attend, Florida Politics reported. Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister thanked the event’s organizers for recognizing deputies and other responders, noting the demands holiday shifts can place on responders and their families, the outlet reported.
A separate Tampa-area example illustrates a different way organizations have supported emergency workers around the holiday. In coverage published Nov. 25, 2019, WFLA reported that the Mike Alstott Family Foundation provided Thanksgiving meals for Hillsborough County Fire Rescue stations. That station-based effort differed from One Table’s ticketed dinner bringing responders and community members together.
The foundation’s nonprofit status does not by itself show how much it spends on this dinner or on other programs. ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer identifies Tampa Foundation Inc. as a 501(c)(3) organization and lists its tax exemption as issued in August 2016.
