By Ailyn Garcia
Your Neighborhood Produce is a storefront that sells fresh and affordable produce, helping fund and further the mission of Kelli Casto’s non-profit organization, Saving Our Seniors.
Its mission is to fill the gap between Medicare and seniors suffering from financial limitations.
“What is the primary goal of this?” Casto said. “To create a wellness hub for anyone in the community to come and buy produce. [And] if you buy produce at our location, you are supporting our greater mission of seniors. We want to create that sense of community like, yes, we’re a produce store, but we’re here for you.”
Your Neighborhood Produce, run by volunteers, is located at 132 49th St. S in St. Petersburg. The store is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
“I started helping more families, and I think everybody wants accessibility to fresh produce,” Casto said. “They just sometimes can’t afford it. You know, you go to, like Publix, it’s like $0.83 for a lemon, and it’s like 30 cents here. We can kind of fill that gap.”
Your Neighborhood Produce accepts Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Fresh Access Bucks- a program that many SNAP users aren’t aware of.
She said that because the produce is mainly Florida fresh, customers who spend $20 using SNAP assistance at Your Neighborhood Produce will be able to get an additional $20 to purchase more. It encourages those who are on a limited income to eat healthier.
Mark Reale, who found out about Casto’s organization, said he loved the concept and immediately wanted to get involved.
“Originally, she had started Saving Our Seniors and that’s how I met her all those years ago,” he said. “Then, through Saving Our Seniors, she branched off into the produce, the ProducePac for delivery and then eventually opened her retail store. I’ve been with her through this entire journey.”
Reale said ProducePac is a program where customers can purchase products, and a portion of the proceeds is donated to seniors. Shoppers can also buy for others and have the items delivered.
“You get local, and you get the opportunity to help somebody that is in your area,” Reale said. “You know immediately someone’s getting fed.”
Kelly Abanda has been shopping at the store since its opening. She said she first saw a post on social media while Casto was preparing the storefront and showed up on opening day to support, and she believes Your Neighborhood Produce’s mission is “incredible.”
“Seniors, despite being a big population here in our area, can still be very forgotten,” Abanda said. “And I know it’s near and dear to Kelli’s heart that they’re not forgotten. I love that the store is serving so many needs at the same time. Getting fresh produce into the community, having ease of access at affordable prices and then the extra benefit is that profits that are made go back into getting private food to seniors.”
Abanda said Casto is committed to having high-quality produce. She said Casto started to build relationships with all the local wholesalers.
“It’s not the second batch of everything, like this is the same quality you’ll see in any of the top-name supermarkets at a fraction of the price,” Abanda said. “So, she’s bringing quality and affordability all in a place that’s accessible to the neighborhood.”
Casto said she not only wants to provide the community with fresh and affordable produce but also aims to create an inclusive environment.
“A lady came in the other day, and she utilized her SNAP benefits, and she said ‘you just made me feel like a normal person,’ and I’m like, well, why wouldn’t I,” Casto said. “We wanted to make an all-inclusive environment, no matter what you’re paying with, you feel as important as the person with the most amount of [money]. You know, we wanted to make it an environment that everybody feels good.”