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St. Pete Free Clinic reports food‑and‑health gains; seeks Badcock building for integrated services
Summary
St. Pete Free Clinic told council its Fresh PACE corner‑store program and new 28,000 sq. ft. food bank are expanding access to healthy food, reporting high customer satisfaction and large distributions; the clinic said it is pursuing purchase of the former Badcock Furniture building to consolidate pantry, health and navigation services.
St. Pete Free Clinic officials told the City Council that neighborhood corner stores participating in their Fresh PACE program are increasing access to healthy food, and that the clinic is pursuing a larger, permanent site to combine food distribution and no‑cost health services.
Jennifer (last name not specified in remarks), chief executive of St. Pete Free Clinic, briefed council members on Fresh PACE, the clinic’s Healthy Neighborhood Stores program run with city partners. She said participating stores receive infrastructure upgrades (coolers, shelving, security) and that store owners agree to price a set of healthy items at or below local grocery prices. The clinic conducts monthly compliance visits and reimburses participating stores for approved purchases.
The program’s customer survey results, the clinic said, were strong: 81% of surveyed customers reported they “no longer need to shop at other stores,” 94% cited affordability of fresh produce and 97% said they would recommend Fresh PACE stores to others. Clinic staff said Fresh PACE is funded in part by city grants and that they hope to sustain and grow the program with continued municipal support.
St. Pete Free Clinic also described a newly opened 28,000‑square‑foot food bank on 30 First Street South. Officials said the food bank distributes more than 20,000,000 pounds of food per year (about 17,000,000 meals equivalent) and estimated that distribution represents roughly $47 million in grocery cost savings for families annually. The clinic reported it distributes food to about 115 partner sites in Pinellas County, and said roughly 50% of that partner network is in St. Petersburg.
On clinical services, the clinic said its health center provides no‑cost primary and specialty care (including cardiology, gastroenterology, gynecology and neurology), dental care, prescription assistance, diabetes intervention, behavioral health and patient navigation. The clinic described individual patient outcomes—one example was a patient with uncontrolled diabetes who was linked to care at a Fresh PACE store screening and later improved his A1C under clinic services.
Future plans: Jennifer told council the clinic is pursuing purchase of the former Badcock Furniture building at 20 Second Avenue South and Martin Luther King Street to create a single site that would offer healthy food, health care, navigation and partner services. She said the clinic is seeking the city’s continued financial support and community engagement as the project moves to development review and any financing or special exception steps.
Council members praised the program and asked logistical questions. Councilmember Brandy Gabbard noted the clinic’s timing with Fair Housing Month events; Councilmember Deborah Figgs Sanders and others commended clinic staff for expanding services. Councilmembers asked which ZIP codes receive the most pantry visits; clinic staff listed 33705, 33714, 33713, 33712 and 33711 as the highest‑usage ZIP codes.
Ending: Clinic leaders requested ongoing city partnership for Fresh PACE and said they would pursue required permitting and community engagement as they work toward the Badcock building purchase and a consolidated service center.
