Community Food Grant Program Update – Reach St. Pete & Community Health Centers Pinellas
By Sarah Wiemert, Healthy St. Petersburg, Health Planner II
Today marks nine months of action for food security in St. Pete through the Community Food Grant Program (CFGP), a part of the Healthy Food Action Plan. As the funded organizations’ projects approach the final quarter of their year-long term, Healthy St. Pete is highlighting their great work. Keep reading for an update on two of the funded partner organizations and keep an eye out for monthly CFGP updates!
Reach St. Pete | $50,000
Free Mobile Grocery Store
Mobile grocery bus with a focus on fresh ingredients and offerings of health and nutrition education in client neighborhoods.
In operation since 2012, Reach St. Pete excels at meeting clients where they are to deliver a dignified pantry service. Through the Pop-Up Pantry program, Reach brings a shopping experience and nutrition and health education to individuals in need bi-monthly at accessible locations, without the barrier of income qualification or registration. Even through major operational setbacks, like hurricane damage to the grocery bus or structural issues with their main location, Reach has been able to adapt and maintain the same level of excellent service. As of June 2025, Reach has served 2,425 individual clients through their mobile grocery pantry in Healthy Food Priority Areas of St. Petersburg.
Additionally, the CFGP has allowed for extensions of existing programming, like recipe cards developed by a dietitian or cholesterol screening kits, delivered during grocery services. The investments this organization has made are visible in their impact; 42% of their clients reported that they prepared home-cooked meals thanks to the recipe addition to services. Reach has even been able to send groceries to homebound individuals through their home delivery service. In the future, the organization looks forward to expanding access to nutrition and health education resources and connecting clients to other wrap-around services through their own and partner organizations.
To learn more about Reach St. Pete, volunteer, or donate visit https://reachstpete.org/.
Community Health Centers of Pinellas | $50,000
Food Rx
Data-driven program assisting food insecure clinic patients with $50 vouchers monthly for fruit and vegetables to build and maintain medically appropriate diets for chronic disease remediation.
Working at the intersection of chronic, diet-related diseases and food insecurity, Community Health Centers of Pinellas (Evara Health) is addressing the clinical implications of food access needs. The Food Rx program is a partnership with Feeding Tampa Bay that allows patients and community members, who qualify as food insecure or who have a qualifying condition requiring a healthy diet for management, to redeem vouchers for healthy foods. At the Johnnie Ruth Clarke Center in St. Pete, patients with diabetes, high blood pressure, high BMI, or pregnancy can receive fresh fruits, vegetables, pantry staples, and lean proteins to ensure their symptoms are managed through a healthy diet.
From January to July 2025, Community Health Centers of Pinellas has assisted 254 returning patients with management of their diet-related health conditions through referrals to the Food Rx program. There have also been reports from patients that the program has helped them to better manage their health conditions and has reduced their household food insecurity. Clinical observations show an improvement in average A1C after Food Rx intervention by about 4 percentage points, with a reduction in uncontrolled diabetic A1C by 7 percentage points.
To learn more about the Food Rx Program at Evara Health, visit https://evarahealth.org/services/food-pharmacy/.
