Staff Reports
The MolinaCares Accord and Reach St. Pete are hosting mobile holiday pop-up pantries in St. Petersburg and Clearwater Thursday.
Residents in the community can “shop” at the free mobile grocery store for various items, including frozen meats, fresh produce, milk, eggs, dry goods and hygiene items. There are no eligibility requirements and shoppers do not have to show identification.
The mobile pantries will be open 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Thursday at Enoch Davis Center, located at 1111 18th Ave. South in St. Pete; 12:45-1:30 p.m. at Campbell Park Rec Center, located at 601 14th St. South in St. Pete; 3:30-4:30 p.m. at Pinellas Hope, located at 5726 126th Ave. North in Clearwater; and at Northside Baptist Church, located at 6000 38th Ave. North in St. Pete, from 5:30-6 p.m.
MolinaCares, along with MolinaHealthcare of Florida, is sponsoring the events.
The mobile pantries are meant to provide a reprieve from food insecurity during the holidays. More than 2 million people face hunger in Florida, including more than 600,000 children, according to the group Feeding America.
Molina works with organizations throughout the state to help fight food insecurity, which is a significant social determinant of health.
Earlier this year, MolinaCares launched its MolinaCares for a Healthy Florida initiative, providing an initial $700,000 to improve Floridians’ health and well-being. Reach St. Pete is a recipient of one of its grants seeking to fulfill that mission.
