OTBB Day 4: Clearing the Way for the Next Generation at Sweetwater Farm 

At Sweetwater Organic Community Farm, veterans, volunteers, and local youth spent the day doing far more than farming—they laid the groundwork for future generations. Day 4 of Operation Tampa Bay Blitz was all about paving pathways, creating space for learning, and planting seeds that will continue to grow long after this week is over. 

“The past few days, I’ve been coming here every single day—laughing together, just enjoying everyone’s presence while doing this hard work. It’s really amazing,” said Bella, a youth volunteer with the TMC Tampa Platoon. “When I hear the veterans share their stories, it makes me think—I could do that one day. I’ve actually been talking to my parents about it. Everyone here just seems so strong and inspiring.” 

Today’s project serves as a beautiful example of how The Mission Continues connects generations through service—bringing people together to improve their communities while also inspiring future leaders. 

Honoring Service and Partnership

This morning’s kickoff included a special moment of recognition as Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera (District 7) and John W. Doolittle, CAPT, USN (Ret.), Director at the Florida Chamber Health Council, presented The Mission Continues with formal proclamations. These acknowledgments honored the organization’s commitment to empowering veterans and building stronger communities through service in the greater Tampa Bay area. Their words served as a powerful reminder of the lasting impact veteran leadership brings to civic life.

Transformation at Sweetwater Organic Community Farm 

Founded in 1993, Sweetwater Farm is a nonprofit urban farm and environmental education center dedicated to organic growing, sustainability, and community connection. Our work today helped enhance both its beauty and educational capacity. 

Volunteers tackled a wide range of projects, including: 

• Clearing vegetation, brush, and trees across key areas of the farm 

• Removing brush and trash from the back gate 

• Relocating the red barn and installing hardware around the large chicken coop 

• Re-laying pavers and rebuilding a ramp to improve site accessibility 

• Restoring 100 feet of trail, planting native plants, and enhancing the garden pathways 

• Demolishing an outdated kitchen structure and building new picnic tables and an outdoor chalkboard for community learning 

• Constructing new grow beds to expand food production capacity 

• Laying mulch, planting flowers, and refreshing the landscape to beautify public-facing areas 

• Building an ADA-accessible cafe fence and completing an art wall as a creative and welcoming feature 

With every trail cleared, tables built, and flowers planted, we created space for more people to learn, grow, and imagine new possibilities. 

We are deeply grateful to our dedicated volunteers and to our sponsors—ToolBank, CarMax, and The Coca-Cola Company—for making this day of impact possible. Your efforts help ensure this mission continues, far beyond a single week. 

Tomorrow, we close out Operation Tampa Bay Blitz at Town & Country Elementary School. For more information and to register, click here. Join us for a powerful final day of service and reflection as we come full circle in our week-long journey of transformation. 

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