From hot wheels to hot meals: St. Pete Grand Prix leftovers feeding hundreds of families

Leftover food donations after St. Pete Grand Prix

Leftover hospitality food from the St. Pete Grand Prix will be donated to feed hundreds of local families. FOX 13's Genevieve Curtis reports.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Once the engines cool after the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the impact of race weekend won’t end at the finish line.

Behind the scenes, thousands of dollars’ worth of leftover food from team hospitality suites will be packed up and redistributed to local families who may otherwise go without a hot meal.

The grand prix brings fast cars, big crowds and high-energy excitement to downtown St. Pete, but it also fuels a quieter mission focused on fighting food insecurity.

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As cars carve up the track, chefs inside team hospitality areas prepare elaborate meals for crews, sponsors and guests throughout the weekend.

READ MORE: Pinellas students swap classrooms for racetrack at Grand Prix STEM Day

"The food is amazing. The chefs that prepare the food are very talented," one staff member said.

But when the race wraps up, much of that high-quality food remains.

That’s where Positive Impact St. Pete steps in.

The nonprofit pulls up with a truck at the end of the event and crews begin loading trays of untouched meals, produce and prepared dishes.

"We’re pulling away with a truck full of amazing food," a volunteer said. "We have volunteers that then meet us at our facility, inventory it, store it in freezers and refrigerators, and then start making phone calls to distribute it on Monday, Tuesday and maybe even Wednesday."

Big picture view:

Karen Rae with Positive Impact St. Pete says the donations go directly to families in the community who are struggling to keep up with everyday costs.

"The majority of families that we provide food for are working class families who just don’t earn enough to pay for all of the basics," Rae said.

The organization says the recovered food can feed hundreds of families in the days following the race, ensuring that perfectly good meals don’t go to waste.

This marks the third year the grand prix has partnered with Positive Impact Ministries to redistribute leftover food from race weekend.