Beef rice noodle soup, accompanied by beef dumpling and chicken curry pie. Credit: Shelbi Hayes

As you walk into Wat Mongkolratanaram, Tampa's Thai temple, the robust smell of food and colorful setting add a brightness to your Sunday. The deck of the recreation center, located to the left of the temple, is filled with lines of people chatting while trying to score pad Thai, chicken curry pies, Thai tea, crunchy plantains and rice noodle soup before the kitchen runs out. Every dish is available for donation of $5 to $8.

The temple was busier than usual this past Sunday because of World Food Day, a day of action that encourages communities around the globe to raise awareness about world hunger and food — how it’s grown, where it comes from. The event, a brunch-style meal, was hosted by the University of South Florida Global Disaster Management, Humanitarian Relief and Homeland Security program in collaboration with Oxfam America.

Rice noodles prepped for a coveted item on the Thai temple’s menu: rice noodle soup. Credit: Shelbi Hayes

Pamela Tavarez, a communications student at USF, found out about the World Food Day gathering through a campus club. It being her first time at Wat Mongkolratanaram, Tavarez said she thought the event was a great reason to visit.

Meant to promote food consciousness, the World Food Day celebration was a good fit for the one-of-a-kind Thai temple, which has much of its food served up by volunteers. Zach Crossman, one of the volunteer chefs, calls the woman who taught him Thai cooking here “Momma.” The temple has become Crossman's home away from home; he said he cooks every weekend for its Sunday morning market.

Among the crowd were those who'd heard of World Food Day, and others who hadn’t. Lotte Aalling comes to Wat Mongkolratanaram somewhat regularly (about once a month) for its Sunday markets. Though Aalling didn't know about World Food Day, she was interested to hear about the cause. She brought her friend from Canada — who was desperately trying to clear space in her phone to document their visit — to tour what she called one of her favorite spots in the area.

Fresh peppers, ginger and other produce items waiting to get scooped up from Wat Mongkolratanaram’s market. Credit: Shelbi Hayes

Under a canopy of trees and overlooking the Palm River, there are picnic tables where guests eat traditional Thai food and mingle with strangers. People sit with folks they don't know, but it's unlikely that they won't make friends with a tablemate.

Visitors learned about ingredients throughout the event, too. On the far side of the dining area, a small botanical and fresh produce market featured medicinal plants with informational signs about their healing properties. Guests could take home orchids, beleric myrobalan and Thai chili to plant in their own gardens.

The view of the river, Florida's fall breeze, architecture and food immersed those visiting Wat Mongkolratanaram for World Food Day. The crowd ate as a community, smiling and enjoying each other's company.

“There are few places better than here in Tampa,” Aalling said.

This article appears in Oct 13-20, 2016.