ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A St. Petersburg food pantry that feeds hundreds of people a week is fighting to keep its doors open. 

What You Need To Know

  •  More than 100,000 Pinellas County residents struggle with food insecurity, according to data from Feeding America

  •  Love Thy Neighbor Community Market is fighting to keep its doors open

  •  The St. Petersburg food pantry supports more than 500 people every week

Joanne Braccio said she knows what it's like to not know where your next meal is coming from. At one point in her life, Braccio was a single mom of four, homeless and addicted to drugs. 

“I remember picking vegetables out of the dumpster to make something to eat," she said. "I remember going to Pizza Hut to see if they had extra pizza so I could feed my kids that night. I’ve lived that life.”

Braccio said she doesn't want anyone else to live that struggle, which is why she opened Love Thy Neighbor Community Market in August 2022. Now, Braccio's shop offers free food to more than 500 people every week. 

“I’ve got people coming in here every day that tell me, ‘I don’t know what I would do if you were not here,'" she said. 

But the future of Braccio's food pantry is uncertain. The restaurant next door — The Pesky Pelican — closed its doors on New Year's Eve. The owner had been renting the adjacent space to Braccio for free.

Now, she has to figure out how she's going to pay to keep Love Thy Neighbor up and running. 

“The rent is the most important thing," Braccio said. "Everything else, I’ll figure it out. If I have to take it out of my own pocket, that’s what I’m going to do.”

For now, Braccio said she has received enough money to pay rent through March. After that, however, she's not sure what will happen, but hopes that she can keep helping families in need.

“I don’t know what they’ll do without me," she said. "I don’t know how they’re going to manage, so I’m going to fight tooth and nail to stay here. That’s what I’m doing right now.”

Braccio estimates rent and utilities will cost around $1,200 a month. She's currently fundraising through a GoFundMe campaign to help keep the food pantry open and is also working with churches and other organizations to figure out options.

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