The mission of the Free Clinic Food Bank is to serve as a central place for gathering and collecting surplus and donated food and distributing the same to those in need of food in our community.
Click here for a resource on How to Hold a Food Drive
“When we decided to incorporate Evangelism Outreach into our Ministry to meet the needs of those who live in poverty and who go hungry every day we thought of the St. Petersburg Free Clinic Food Bank. We had heard great things about the organization and its staff and how they care about those in need. We learned that they distribute food to a variety of community agencies which serve people in need; provide food to community partners, who would likely not be able to obtain a steady supply of food in other ways, nor would they have the space or equipment to store enough food to meet the needs of the people they serve.
St. Petersburg Free Clinic Food Bank has been a great help to us in meeting the need of those we serve. New Covenant Baptist Church has a small membership. Our participants are grateful for the variety of food they get. There is no way we could service the number of participants who visit our food pantry on a monthly basis without the flow of food received from St. Petersburg Free Clinic Food Bank!
Their willingness to share enables us to take up the banner to fight against hunger and feed hope to the community we love and serve.”
Cynthia Glynn, Food Pantry Coordinator, New Covenant Baptist Church
Free Clinic Food Bank, the oldest food bank in Pinellas County, gathers donated food from distributors, retailers, wholesalers and growers. Community groups, clubs, churches, businesses and school groups collect food through food drives or collections and contribute to the Food Bank. Due to this generosity, the Food Bank is able to supply our community partner organizations with food for those in need. These organizations include three Free Clinic programs: Free Clinic Women’s Residence, Free Clinic Beacon House and Free Clinic We Help Services.
What is the difference between a Food Bank and a Food Pantry?
A Food Bank distributes food to agencies and a Food Pantry distributes food to individuals and families. St. Petersburg Free Clinic is both. The Free Clinic Food Bank distributes over 1.3 million pounds of food annually free of charge to our Food Bank Partner Agencies. Free Clinic We Help Services includes a food pantry, which distributes food to families and individuals. See their page on our website or click here.
Glen McKelvey, Grainger Branch Manager, presents a check for $10,000 to Jane Egbert, St. Petersburg Free Clinic Executive Director and Ken Murphy (left), Director of the Free Clinic Food Bank
Doubletree Resort in North Redington Beach holds food drives throughout the year to support the Free Clinic Food Bank
Macy’s holds food drives and sends volunteers to the Free Clinic Food Bank
Sara Lee donates bread products on a regular basis
Our Food Bank Partner Agencies include:
- Adult Home Care
- ASAP
- All Nations Seventh Day Adventist Church
- Beaming Hope Church
- Bethel AME Church
- Bethlehem Seventh Day Adventist Church
- Brookwood Florida Central
- CASA
- Center of Restoration of Prayer
- Central Christian Church
- Children Impacted by Incarcerated Parents South
- Clearview United Methodist Church
- Community Service Involvement
- Ebenezer New Testament Church of God
- Elim Seventh Day Adventist Church
- Emerge (Westcare)
- First Church of Nazarene Pinellas Park
- First United Methodist Church Pinellas Park
- Gateway Christian Church
- Green Chapel Outreach
- Greenview Manor
- Healing Temple Ministries
- Hope for the Homeless/Dream Center
- Impact Ministries
- In His Power Only Ministries
- In the House Ministries
- Living Water Community Ministries
- Lutheran Apartments
- Mercy Keepers
- Mustard Seed (Westcare)
- New Beginning Community Church
- New Covenant Baptist Church
- New Journey Fellowship Pinellas Park
- New Latter Day Deliverance Church
- New Life Worship Center
- Northside Baptist Church
- Northwest Presbyterian Church
- Operation Attack — Lakeview Presbyterian Church
- Our Brother’s Keeper
- Park Place Wesleyan Church
- Pasadena Presbyterian Church
- Pathways Community Church Largo
- Pinellas Community Church
- Pinellas Hope (Catholic Charities)
- Prayer Tower Church of God
- River of Water
- St. Giles Episcopal Church Pinellas Park
- St. Mark’s United Methodist Church
- St. Petersburg Seventh Day Adventist Church
- St. Vincent DePaul Society Soup Kitchen
- St. Vincent De Paul of Sacred Hearts Parrish Pinellas Park
- Salvation Army (4th Street South)
- Serenity United Methodist Church
- Sixty-Sixth Street Church of God
- Starling School & Day Center
- Suncoast Haven of Rest Mission
- Trinity Lutheran
- Touched by an Angel
- Turning Point (Westcare)
- Wesley United Methodist Church
Free Clinic Food Bank, one of Florida’s oldest food banks, also serves as a distribution site for the USDA program.