PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The kindness of a stranger many years ago was the spark that led a St. Petersburg woman to pay it forward time and time again.

Joanne Bracchio is the owner of a cleaning service and the founder of Love Thy Neighbor Florida, a nonprofit spreading that love in a great many ways.

That includes the market, where people in need of food are welcome at no charge.

“We only have two people that volunteer,” Bracchio said. “So we’re only open Tuesday and Thursday from 1 (pm) to 4 (pm). We’d like to get a little more help so people who are in need of food have a little more options.”

They were also loading a trailer with thanksgiving food headed for its third trip to hurricane victims in Fort Myers.

The market is adjacent to the Pesky Pelican restaurant.

Dan Pemberton is the owner of both. When she asked to rent the market from him and told him its purpose he let her use it at no charge.

“People should not be hungry ever,” he said. “People should not be hungry. That has been our key since we opened.

Bracchio said she could not believe her ears.

“Dan is my hero,” she said. “God has put people like him in my path to do this work.”

But the journey here has had its share of challenges.

“I was a drug addict for 25 years in California,” she said. “I was a functioning addict. I went to work and cleaned houses and functioned.”     

When asked why she does this she recalled a time, years ago, right before Christmas when she was a homeless mom with no money who just sat down on the street and cried.

A woman, a stranger, asked her what was wrong and when Joanne told her this happened:

“She bought toys for my kids,” she said. “She put me in a hotel for a week. When I got money to pay her back she didn’t want the money.

“She told me one day it will be your turn. And it’s my turn right now.”