For Belinda Leto and Celina Saunders, one good deed has led to another 10,000 and counting.
The co-founders of Tampa nonprofit Celebrate Birthdays’ latest charitable effort is the Youth Community Closet, a mobile boutique that will travel to Title 1 elementary schools in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties to deliver clothes, socks, shoes, and undergarments to children in need. It is one of 88 nonprofit programs Community Foundation Tampa Bay awarded more than $2.5 million combined in competitive grants in 2026, a record year for the program.
The regional grantmaking charity received 426 applications for funding in this year’s cycle, an increase of more than 17 percent from 2025 and another high mark for the program. In a press release, Community Foundation Tampa Bay President and CEO Marlene Spalten says the application “reflected a growing need across our region, particularly for programs focused on basic needs such as housing, food security, clothing, healthcare, and other essential services.”…