City launches plan, grant program to tackle food insecurity

The City of St. Petersburg has unveiled an ambitious initiative to combat food insecurity and promote health equity among residents. 

The aim of the Healthy Food Action Plan is to provide new solutions to longstanding food access issues in the city. Developed through extensive community input, the plan focuses on 17 census tracts throughout St. Petersburg, designated as Healthy Food Priority Areas.

The 17 “Healthy Food Priority Areas” designated by the Healthy Food Action Plan. Screenshot: City documents.

The plan addresses food systems holistically, looking beyond single solutions to encompass a range of community-driven initiatives. It’s one of three programs the City has established to address food access with $1.179 million in funding from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

“We’re a resource-rich community,” said Kim Lehto, Healthy St. Pete Coordinator with the City of St. Petersburg. “There are a lot of different ways to address [food insecurity] and everybody’s working separately. This is a way for all of us to come together and tackle the issue.”

Food deserts, where access to affordable and healthy foods is limited, have been widely blamed as a major cause of hunger and health challenges throughout the country. The United States Department of Agriculture estimates about 53.6 million people, or 17% of the population in the U.S., live in areas considered low-income and low-access, meaning the nearest supermarket is more than a half mile away. 

“Health equity is important,” said Sarah Wiemert, a Food Systems Planner for the City of St. Petersburg. “We know that low income, low food access residents experience the disproportionate negative health effects from food insecurity compared to other residents. With the increase in the cost of living we’ve been experiencing in the Tampa Bay area, it’s more crucial than ever that the residents who live here get better access to more tailored programs so they can meet their needs.”

To implement the Healthy Food Action Plan’s objectives, the city has launched a Community Food Grant Program, offering up to $300,000 in funding for local nonprofit organizations. Grants will be awarded in tiers of $10,000, $25,000 and $50,000 to projects aligning with the plan’s focus areas: supporting the local food economy and community building, improving food access and security, and strengthening community health and wellness.

The community-suggested food insecurity solutions are marked by a lightbulb icon in the report, while the checkmark icon denotes  ‘common best practices.’ Screenshot: City documents.

“Nonprofit organizations are part of our community, and we know that they’ve been doing this work for a very long time in the areas that we’re trying to address,” Lehto explained. “It would be rebuilding the wheel, so to speak, if we were to do anything on our own, so the city is really, really invested in and dedicated to solving this problem and working collaboratively.”

In addition to the grant program, the city has already launched other interventions, such as the FRESH Pace Healthy Neighborhood Store Program, which brings fresh, affordable produce and meats to existing neighborhood stores. With four stores currently participating and two more planned by the end of 2024, Lehto said the program has been well-received by both retailers and residents.

More information about the Healthy Food Action Plan, including maps of healthy food retailers and Fresh PACE program locations, is available online at HealthyStPeteFL.com. A pdf of the Healthy Food Action Plan is available here.

Applications for the Community Food Grant Program are open now and will close Friday, Aug. 16 at 4 p.m. More information about eligibility and the application portal is available here.

.