News Summary
Kelli Casto has launched ‘Your Neighborhood Produce’ in St. Petersburg to address food insecurity by providing affordable fresh produce to disadvantaged residents. Following a successful nonprofit initiative, this new grocery store is focused on supporting local seniors with healthy nutrition options. The store offers produce sourced from local farms and operates with SNAP benefits and the Fresh Access Bucks initiative, aiming to help those in need while promoting healthier eating habits in the community.
St. Petersburg – Kelli Casto has expanded her mission to combat food insecurity with the opening of ‘Your Neighborhood Produce,’ a grocery store in St. Petersburg aimed at providing affordable access to fresh fruits and vegetables for disadvantaged residents. The store officially launched following a ribbon-cutting ceremony held on March 24, 2025.
In 2024, Casto’s nonprofit organization, Saving Our Seniors, successfully fed 96,000 seniors, addressing critical gaps in food access and nutrition for older adults in the community. Initially, she developed a program called ProducePac, which began with the delivery of fresh produce from her car. As demand grew, she transformed this initiative into a storefront located at 132 49th St. S., where customers can now purchase a variety of fresh produce.
Your Neighborhood Produce sources most of its offerings from local farms in and around the Tampa Bay area, ensuring high-quality products. This direct delivery from farms has resulted in longer-lasting produce, with customers noting that items like avocados remain fresh for an extended period. The store currently features approximately 40 varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes, broccoli, corn, lemons, and pineapples.
Store Operations and Community Support
The grocery store operates Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. It remains closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Additionally, Your Neighborhood Produce is a certified Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) retailer, allowing customers to pay for produce using their SNAP benefits. Through the Fresh Access Bucks initiative, SNAP recipients can double their purchasing power for eligible produce.
Kelli Casto aims to significantly increase the number of seniors served by her organization, with a goal to raise the monthly assistance from 14,000 seniors to 28,000. The store also allows customers to use over-the-counter (OTC) Medicare Advantage Plans to purchase their produce, further enhancing access to affordable nutrition.
| Price Comparison | Items at Your Neighborhood Produce are typically priced at about half of what one would expect to pay in a traditional grocery store. |
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Future Plans and Community Engagement
Beyond serving as a grocery store, Casto envisions future initiatives including nutrition classes and meal-planning services to promote healthier eating habits within the community. She also encourages customers to provide feedback and request specific items to ensure that the store continues to meet the needs of local residents.
In a unique approach to community support, for every purchase made at Your Neighborhood Produce, Casto donates a ProducePac to a senior in need, thus linking each transaction back to her core mission of helping vulnerable populations.
Background Context
Saving Our Seniors was founded by Kelli Casto in 2016, initially focusing on offering gently used medical equipment to seniors in need. The organization has since evolved, addressing a broader spectrum of needs among the elderly community. The conception of Your Neighborhood Produce stemmed from the realization that many low-income seniors require not only medical equipment but also reliable access to nutritious food. As a result, Casto leveraged her background as an occupational therapist to create a space that empowers individuals to make healthier lifestyle choices.
With the combination of community outreach, affordable pricing, and a direct farm-to-table approach, Your Neighborhood Produce stands as a significant step forward in the ongoing effort to eliminate food insecurity, particularly among seniors in St. Petersburg.
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Additional Resources
- The Gabber: ProducePac – Produce with a Purpose
- Wikipedia: Food Insecurity
- St. Pete Catalyst: Fresh Produce Store Blossoms in South St. Pete
- Google Search: Food Access in Seniors
- Fox 13 News: Nonprofit Provides Fresh Food & Health Care Needs
- Google Scholar: Nutrition Programs for Seniors
- WTSP: Fresh Produce in St. Pete Saving Our Seniors
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
- ABC Action News: Get Fresh Veggies Delivered
- Google News: Food Security Seniors
- St. Pete Catalyst: Buy Fresh Produce & Help Feed a Local Senior
