Neighborhood News Bureau

Tag: USF ST. PETERSBURG

  • From Childs Park to the Cover of Food & Wine

    From Childs Park to the Cover of Food & Wine

    Pictured Above: The Publix 2021 Collard Green Festival, featuring James Beard Award-winning chef and native son Edouardo Jordan (right), is happening this Saturday on the corner of 22nd Street and 9th Avenue South. On the left is former News Channel 8 newsman Rob Carter with festival co-founder Boyzell Hosey at the 2018 event.

    Courtesy of The Weekly Challenger

    By Mark Parker

    The 2021 Publix Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival returned May 15 on the corner of 22nd Street & Ninth Avenue South. Live music and cooking demonstrations took place to inspire a healthy community through fitness, nutrition and family fun.

    This year’s festival featured a virtual demonstration from not one, but two James Beard Award-winning chefs, one of which is a proud son of St. Petersburg.

    Everyone loves an underdog story, overcoming the odds to blaze new trails and achieve what was once thought impossible through sheer grit and determination.

    St. Petersburg’s own decorated chef and restaurateur Edouardo Jordan embodies that underdog spirit from a boy growing up in Childs Park to becoming the first African American to grace the cover of Food & Wine magazine. 

    He credits his experiences as a kid for instilling the mentality that has served him so well ever since.

    “One of the blessings of being a part of the St. Pete community, the Childs Park area, was just learning the hustle and the grind,” Jordan said. “Learning to make something out of nothing.”

    Growing up, Jordan was one of the younger and smaller kids on the block and was constantly trying to keep up with the older kids. He was usually the shortest or slowest person playing sports, and school did not come easy for him, either. He soon realized that if he wanted to achieve his goals in life — both then and in the future — he was simply going to have to work harder than most people.

    “I struggled in school, I struggled in sports,” he said. “So, what I did was work extremely hard to get better each and every day. I put people who are better than me around me, to inspire me to at least try and get to that level. And what happened with that situation was that I became an A student, I became an MVP on various teams. It wasn’t because I was the greatest at anything that I did; I just worked extremely hard.”

    After graduating high school, Jordan knew he needed to break out of his comfort zone in St. Petersburg. Since he planned on staying in Florida, he decided to go to a university in a city that would adapt him to what other areas of society are like. 

    With friends and family in Tallahassee and Miami seeming too distracting, Gainesville and the University of Florida made the most sense to him.

    “It was a highly recommended, highly prestigious university in the state of Florida, and I wanted a challenge,” Jordan said. “I wanted something slightly different; I wanted to be a little bit farther away from my inner circle. That was helpful for me to get my own grounding, find my whole new network of people to explore and learn the world from a different perspective. From my Caribbean and West Indies friends to my fraternity brothers, to some of the non-minorities that I became friends with, that I continue to be able to network with – even in my career now.”

    The first in his family to attend college, Jordan would graduate with dual degrees in business administration and sports management. However, he did not feel passionate about a career in those fields.

    Restaurateur Edouardo Jordan flew from Seattle to headline the 2018 Tampa Bay Collard Festival.
    Courtesy of The Weekly Challenger

    “I think every mother and father’s dream is to have their son go to law school or become a doctor, do something that’s in that like one percent range,” Jordan said. “But when I graduated from the University of Florida, I kind of had a come-to-Jesus moment of what I actually love doing is hosting people, and feeding people, and nourishing their body.”

    Jordan would then go on to graduate with honors from Le Cordon Bleu in Orlando, spend some time at Mise en Place in Tampa, and then begin his meteoric rise through the culinary world at the prestigious restaurant The French Laundry in Napa Valley. From there, he would migrate north to Seattle, where the sky has been the limit.

    After 10 years of honing his craft and finding his voice in the culinary world, Jordan would open his first restaurant called Salare in Seattle in 2015. A year later, the kid from Azalea Middle School and The Boca Ciega High School would become the first African American to be featured on the cover of Food & Wine magazine for their “Best New Chefs” edition.

    The restaurants and awards would continue.

    In 2017, he would open JuneBaby, dedicated to his roots and Southern Cuisine. The restaurant was a hit locally and nationally. JuneBaby was selected as a Critic’s Pick by the New York Times, was named to Esquire magazine’s 2017 list of Best New Restaurants in America, and was chosen one of Food & Wine’s 10 best restaurants in 2018.

    One of the most prestigious awards one can receive in the culinary world is the James Beard Foundation Award. In 2018, Jordan would win two, taking home the title of Best Chef: Northwest and Best New Restaurant for JuneBaby.

    Since then, Jordan has opened up a third restaurant in Seattle called the Lucinda Grain Bar, highlighting heirloom, ancient and local grains. He has also expanded his philanthropic efforts through The Soul of Seattle, which was created to help foster relationships and empower the community through food. His goal is to shed light on the diverse food and Black-owned businesses within Seattle, and another focus in 2021 is on empowering youth of color in the area.

    Somehow in between all of this, he found time to start a retail brand close to his heart named Food with Roots that includes the clothing brand – Chitlins.

    “That came when I found my voice, found my identity,” Jordan explained. “And that comes at different times and levels for everybody. I found mine when I opened my own restaurant; I felt open to speak about what I wanted to speak about.”

    Growing up, he found it hard to talk about eating hog intestines, or chitterlings (spelled and pronounced chitlins in the South), and the other things he ate for fear of being ridiculed by his peers. He later realized he should not be ashamed of what fed and nurtured him and his family.

    Jordan hopes his clothing brand will enable other people to find their voice and express it in whatever manner and not be bashful or doubt themselves.

    “This is an extension of who I am as my history is a story,” Jordan said. “It’s more than just food. It’s perseverance and survival; it’s creativity. It’s the ingenuity that we have created, and always have been able to create as people of color.”

    While Jordan does not get back often to St. Petersburg, his parents still live here, and he looks forward to coming back soon to see all the changes. He misses the beaches, weather and water, and left the door open to returning home to open a business and retire.

    Jordan is excited about being home virtually at the Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival. He attended high school with event co-founder Samantha Harris and agreed to participate back in 2018.

    “So, it was just a boon for us to be able to get him again,” festival founder Boyzell Hosey said. “Last year, we had food author Toni Tipton-Martin, and for us to get both of them to appear together virtually is pretty amazing for us.”

    “We’re going to have a good time just talking about the good ole days,” Jordan said. “Eating collard greens with the family and what it means, and variations of ways you can enjoy them.”

  • A donut challenge in Gulfport aims to enforce masks

    A donut challenge in Gulfport aims to enforce masks

    By Samantha Harris

    As the pandemic is still ongoing, local Gulfport business Golden Dinosaurs Vegan Deli (GDVD) took the chance to get creative with enforcing masks by creating their own donut challenge.

    Starting in February 2021, GDVD is challenging customers to wear a mask at the order window, and if the restaurant can go 30 days without asking someone to put on a mask, they will give away free donuts for an entire day. 

    Audrey Dingeman, who is one of the owners, said the longest the team has gone without asking someone to put on a mask has been until 3 p.m. on any given day.

    Dingeman came up with the idea as a joke, but once she introduced it to the team, everyone liked it and decided to give it a try. 

    “It came from staff being constantly frustrated to repeatedly have to ask guests to wear masks while ordering from our walk-up window,” Dingeman said.

    The challenge is important to Dingemen because she wants to keep the staff safe. GDVD employee, Toma Karaleviciute, is also an advocate for masks and appreciates the challenge.

    “I am a huge proponent for mask wearing because I believe in a collectivist mindset rather than an individualistic one,” Karaleviciute said.

    Karaleviciute has worked at GDVD since September 2019 as a front of house team member. She has found the challenge to be an encouraging incentive for those who already wear masks, but believes it has been ineffective for pulling uninformed people in. 

    “A lot of customers who are stoked about this are still frustrated that tourists keep ruining the chance for free donuts,” Karaleviciute said. “Other guests just peek the sign, laugh, and don’t read it all the way. Most often, after I have already asked the customer to put their mask on, guests are very confused by the meaning of the challenge.” 

    Karaleviciute thinks some of the positive outcomes of the challenge have been being able to keep the restaurant operating and serving up “smiles and snacks” to those who rely on them.

    There have been some cons though, such as policing people who are not taking the pandemic seriously, declining mental health, and missing out on unemployment benefits. Karaleviciute  would like for 60% of the population to be vaccinated before the restaurant lifts mask mandates.

    While Karaleviciute appreciates the challenge and the incentive to keep people safe, she does think the challenge could be improved. 

    “If I were to amend this challenge, I would change the criteria from ‘how many days since asking someone to put their mask on’ to ‘how many days since having to beg someone to put their mask on,” Karaleviciute said. “Sometimes people are understanding and simply forgot, and they immediately put their mask up. Other times, I have to police them and tell them if they refuse to wear a mask they have to step away and order online. These are the people who should be at fault for resetting the count.” 

    Catie Shetty has been a GDVD customer since the business first opened in 2018. When she first heard of the donut challenge, she thought it was “brilliant.” 

    “I think it’s a great idea and surprised me more restaurants or other small businesses aren’t doing something similar,” Shetty said.

    While Shetty does not personally care if restaurants are enforcing masks, she is an advocate for supporting the rules and policies they have in place. Her favorite GDVD donut is the Oreo flavor, which she would love to see given out if the challenge is completed.

    GDVD is currently only operating a walk-up window and patrons can find socially distanced seating outside. For those who would rather eat at home or not wear a mask, orders can be made on their website for pick-up.

    According to the CDC guidelines  as of May 4, masks are still needed outdoors if all parties are not vaccinated and people are crowded together. Since Gulfport often gets tourists and there is no vaccine mandate, GDVD plans to wait until the CDC decides masks are no longer needed or the team feels comfortable lifting the policy.

    The CDC’s website also stated 44.5% of the U.S. population is currently vaccinated.

    As of right now, there is no set date in mind when Dingeman plans to end the challenge. 

    “Once our staff are vaccinated, and after we all decide as a team that we are ready to no longer require masks at the window, then we will begin loosening our Covid rules, including the mandatory mask mandate,” Dingeman said. “We don’t have a set date in mind, but thinking probably mid June or so.”

    While Dingeman plans to keep the challenge in place for at least the next few months, she does not think it will be completed. 

    “At this point, I think we could do diamond and gold topped donuts for free,” Dingeman laughed. “There is no way we will be getting to 30 days.”

  • How the YMCA has maintained childcare safety during the pandemic

    How the YMCA has maintained childcare safety during the pandemic

    By Madison Hursh

    In the midst of a global pandemic, children have been affected immensely in their daily life. Schools have shut down, sports were put on hold, and even things as little as toys have been taken away from them to minimize the spread of bacteria and viruses. 

    The youth in the last year have experienced something that no one in our generation has. However, their bright and positive minds have not been tainted while at the YMCA of greater St. Petersburg. 

    Over the past year, while still following the CDC guidelines in order to keep the people of Pinellas County protected, the YMCA has come up with ways to still continue childcare and keep the kids entertained and happy. 

    On the last Friday of every month, YMCA Greding St. Petersburg hosts what they call Parents Night Out. For $60, The YMCA allows families to drop their kids off for three hours in the evening, from 6 to 9 p.m.. 

    This gives parents an opportunity to use a Friday night to do whatever they would like to do in order to wind down after a long month. During the night out, the YMCA promises to maintain CDC guidelines in order to keep the children safe while in their care. 

    At the Parents Night Out, kids are told to bring swimsuits so they can swim in the olympic size swimming pool, they are given arts and crafts to finish and take home when the night is over, and they wrap their night eating Hungry Howie’s pizza and watching a movie of their choice. The three hours are jam-packed with activities to keep them busy while their parents have some alone time. 

    Although it may seem impossible for the YMCA to maintain social distancing and mask mandates at this time, they make it happen to their best ability. Children and employees are asked to wear face masks at all times. The employees also set up workstations that are 6 feet apart in the classroom. These workstations are where kids do their arts and crafts and where they eat their pizza and watch the movie. YMCA provides hand sanitizer at every table and disinfects each area after being used. 

    Keeping the area clean and the kids distanced may seem like an easy task. However, it is not as easy as it seems because kids have not fully grasped the seriousness of the pandemic. 

    Naturally, children gravitate toward each other and struggle keeping their hands to themselves. A lot of the kids at the camp already knew each other prior to the night out and without thinking, wanted to give each other hugs, and share their toys and food. 

    Keeping the children 6 feet apart is one of the hardest struggles the child care workers face at the YMCA. One of the child care leaders, Courtney Gornik, has been with the YMCA for four years and described trying to impose the guidelines as “stressful.”

    “Having such strict guidelines during the pandemic has been hard. It is already hard for us to make sure the kids are keeping their hands to themselves, but the added Florida guidelines have made it more stressful,” Gornick said. 

    One of the child participants of Parents Night Out, Ella-Vae said she is not a fan of having to wear a mask. 

    “It makes it hard for me to breathe when I’m trying to play and falls off too easily,” Ella-Vae said.

     The childcare workers explained that having to ask the kids to keep a mask on at all times is one of the hardest tasks to accomplish while caring for the kids during the pandemic. 

    Childcare has not been the only difficult task to achieve during the global pandemic. Sporting events and programs at the YMCA have faced many alterations since March 2020. For nearly an entire year from March 2020 to March 2021, sports were put on hold. 

    The annual soccer program canceled practices and games. Basketball was also put on hold. The YMCA did not have the space to hold spectators and athletes while still following all of the CDC guidelines suggested by the state. 

    The YMCA is finally, and slowly, finding its way back to normal by reviving sports that were put on hold. Four weeks ago, the YMCA brought back their soccer program for the first time since the pandemic. Because practices and games are held outside, it was easier to maintain social distancing. Spectators were asked to bring masks for when they interact with other people. 

    Coaches and referees wear their masks at all times, and YMCA athletic employees are asked to clean up after all sporting events. 

    The kids have struggled with abiding by the mask mandates and social distancing. However, they are happy to see their lives finally starting to go back to normal as vaccinations are being distributed and COVID-19 cases are on the decline.

     The pandemic has taught kids how the world can have unfortunate events but they will always have better days to look forward to. The youth of Gulfport and Midtown bring a sense of light to the neighborhood despite the darkness around them. 

    This coming summer, starting the second week of June, the YMCA will be holding their annual summer camp. Last summer, the YMCA held the camp despite the various lockdowns, but made the services available to primarily essential-worker families. 

    As of now, the YMCA will still ask the participants to continue wearing their protective face coverings, and social distancing will be encouraged. Depending on the anticipated changes of the CDC COVID-19 guidelines, changes in such rules will be revisited.

  • Alternative Baseball Organization expands to Tampa Bay and beyond

    Alternative Baseball Organization expands to Tampa Bay and beyond

    Pictured above: ABO’s last national game was held in 2019, played against a team of former MLB players.

    Courtesy of Taylor Duncan

    By Baron Reichenbach

    The Alternative Baseball Organization, an association for youths with autism spectrum and related disorders, is looking to massively expand its teams in time for the 2022 season. 

    “We went from 20 teams to, now, approaching 80,” Taylor Duncan, ABO’s founder and CEO, said.

    “It takes about six months to a year to fill out a whole team, so why not go ahead and get started while we can, and try to get momentum going, so that when [the pandemic] does blow over, we’ll be ready to get back off the ground,” Duncan said.

    A number of these teams will be located in the Tampa Bay area including Tampa, New Port Richey, Bradenton and Lakeland. These teams will be run by the Men’s Amateur Baseball League, based out of Lakeland. 

    ABO is a nonprofit organization made of teams across the U.S., specifically geared to involve youths with disabilities in a sport they might ordinarily be barred from playing. 

    “They get to learn how to work as a team, work on physical skills, and learn how to deal with disappointment and different situations,” Duncan said.

    Besides using a different ball to accommodate different skill levels, ABO uses all the same rules and equipment as Major League Baseball. 

    Duncan aims to push for moving from autism awareness to practical inclusion. 

    “We’ve worked on autism awareness the past 25 years. But we need to be taking the next step, and that’s to encourage more integration, the step of inclusion,” Duncan said. “That’s where we’re going to get things done.” 

    Originally from Dallas, Georgia, Ducan first learned to play baseball at the age of 12, playing in a “typical youth baseball” league for a single season. The year after, a new coach cut Duncan from the team, considering him an injury risk. While he continued to build his skills through slowpitch softball, continued discrimination pushed Duncan to establish his own team. 

    After reaching out to schools and organizations across his home county, Duncan founded the first team of six players that would act as a precursor to ABO in 2013, originally envisioned as a campaign to raise awareness. Growing from word of mouth and new coverage, the campaign expanded to multiple teams, and Duncan founded ABO in 2014.

    “The big thing [was] trying to find the individuals in the community,” Duncan said.”Because once many of them get out of high school… they’re not getting the resources to work toward living independently.” 

    Duncan noted that, while organizations like the Special Olympics exist, not everyone qualifies, due to factors such as scoring to high on IQ tests. 

    “Once they age out of the available services that are out there, there’s just nothing else for them,” Duncan said. “We’re trying to get them back out into society, and into this team scenario where they can work on a lot of those skills.” 

    He also commented on the disparity in available resources in metropolitan and rural areas. 

    “Not every place is a Tampa Bay or an Atlanta. You have places like Meridian, Mississippi… the rural areas in New Mexico. Those individuals in those areas don’t have the same ease of access to services as those closer to metropolitan areas,” Duncan said. 

    Duncan hopes ABO and organizations like it can help mend this imbalance in advocacy resources. He believes his personal experience with autism provides a necessary insight that allows the organization to succeed in its stated mission. 

    “We actually have the experience to be able to cater to others, [based on] our own individual experiences,” Ducan said.”I give credit to all the doctors who have done research on ASD the past 50 years, but here’s the thing: I believe the most effective plans and most effective work is gonna come from those on the spectrum themselves.

    “If you don’t have the experience, you’re only able to do so much, and you’re not going to touch that target demographic 100% if you don’t understand where they come from.” 

    Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ABO canceled all games for a year. However, this allowed them to focus on expanding outreach in preparation for the eventual end to the pandemic. 

    “A lot of our expansion came from COVID… because a lot of the news stations picked us up. Professional sports were cancelled, so they didn’t have anything to report on in sports in these minor-market areas. So we ended up getting a lot more coverage on a local level,” Duncan said. 

    They are now beginning to reopen with socially distanced games. 

    “For now, we’re using the same policies as Major League Baseball. You don’t need to have masks on on the field, but… if you’re not doing physical activity, then the mask has to go on,” Duncan said. “We’re highly encouraging the use of temperature guns and hand sanitizer, and not allowing players to have high-fives or… share water bottles or anything like that, which they shouldn’t anyway. We’re taking every possible measure we possibly can.” 

    Ducan looks forward to releasing information about ABO’s next national game, scheduled for Nov. 2022. 

    In the long term, Duncan hopes to expand ABO’s presence to Canada and beyond, pushing off of their media-fueled expansion over the past year. 

    “We reached… Hawaii, and Alaska. Our Canadian trademark registration recently finished up, so we’re working on getting that fixed so we can expand into Ontario and the other provinces,” Duncan said. 

  • Mt. Zion Progressive Missionary Baptist Church believes in serving through community outreach

    Mt. Zion Progressive Missionary Baptist Church believes in serving through community outreach

    Pictured Above: Members and volunteers at Mount Zion Progressive Missionary preparing grocery items for community members. (USF/Malique Ferrette)

    By Malique Ferrette

    With so many people still in need due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mount Zion Progressive Missionary Baptist Church has prioritized community outreach to better serve others. 

    Human Services Director for the church, Anegla Rouson, said that they started the program in August 2020 in response to the pandemic. 

    “Food security is a concern in the Midtown area pre-COVID-19, but the pandemic has made it more urgent because there are so many folks who are affected by being out of work or being on lockdown for whatever reasons so, um, the urgency is even greater right now,” Rouson said. 

    Volunteer placing food into the trunk of an SUV. (USF/Malique Ferrette)

    After seeing the food bank offered by the St. Petersburg Free Clinic in the downtown area, she was convinced that the Midtown community could benefit from similar services. What followed was a conversation with Feeding Tampa Bay and the beginnings of a permanent partnership between them and the church. This allows the church to host drive through food distribution events every two weeks.  

    According to Rouson, the response to the initiative, has been overwhelmingly positive. 

    Ronald Dock, a member of the church and frequent volunteer for the program, shared that at one point, cars would be wrapped around the block just waiting to receive food. However, when it comes to actually sharing their faith it was different., 

    “If someone approached me and said, you know, ‘God bless you,’ I’d say ‘God bless’ back but you know, that’s the last thing I would ever do; push any religion on anybody. You run people away with that,” Dock said. 

    Dock said that they leave the door open for people to ask for prayers or to inquire about the church, but the main focus is just serving and sharing the love of Christ through that service. He shared that they try to have an impact directly on the community living within a 2-mile radius from the church; as is also shared in the church’s vision statement. 

    Bags of food prepared for distribution. (USF/Malique Ferrette)

    Yet another volunteer at the church, McRay, said that though this is not her home church, she felt like she needed to do something to help after seeing so many people lacking food during the pandemic. 

    “I was glad to see that Mount Zion was doing this.I feel like I am doing something now and that was most important to me,” she said. 

    The community has responded to the outreach program in so many ways. Some via social media, others through a phone call to the church to say thank you and some, on the spot, before leaving the event. Other volunteers helping the church shared that because the distribution is set up as a drive-though, not many people will get out of their cars to talk. Most of the time, they rather drive along and might even honk their horns while leaving but that could be all. Even so, volunteers say that they know they are making a difference. 

    Volunteers distributing food to vehicles at outreach event. (USF/Malique Ferrette)

    Upon arriving at the church, drivers are immediately directed toward a specific lane in the parking lot by orange cones laid out for guidance. While waiting in line as cars get closer to the food for the hand-off, a volunteer approaches vehicles to ask questions to help determine how much food to allot to each family. 

    At the same time, other volunteers approach different cars sharing pamphlets and brochures with other resources, such as affordable courses offered by St. Petersburg College and different programs that may even help people  pay rent. 

    Volunteers distributing food to vehicles at outreach event. (USF/Malique Ferrette)

    Eventually, each car reaches the end of the line where drivers are then asked to open their trunks to allow for the placement of bags and boxes of food; both perishable and nonperishable. Should there be no trunk space, the back seats are also optional. 

    Rouson stated that this initiative is intended to be long term or at least long enough to allow the church to sufficiently aid the Midtown community. 

    One of the church’s core values reads:

    “We serve enthusiastically – ‘Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.’ 1 Peter 4:10”

    To date, some may say that Mount Zion Progressive Missionary Baptist Church is indeed doing its best to commit to that particular value. 

    Members and volunteers at Mount Zion Progressive Missionary preparing grocery items for community members. (USF/Malique Ferrette)
  • Local Church in St. Pete focuses on the value of personal relationships

    Local Church in St. Pete focuses on the value of personal relationships

    By Hannah Simpson

    In the last decade, mega churches across the nation have been booming and becoming a staple of modern day Christianity.

    Churches with an average attendance of 1,800 people or more constitute a mega church.

    According to the Hartford Institute for Religious Research, there are 120 mega churches in the state of Florida alone. With an increasing number of attendees, where does this leave small churches? 

    Daryn Kinny, pastor of Local Church in St. Petersburg, answers some questions about the importance of “small church” and where it’s headed. 

    Kinny was one of 13 pastors who served a congregation of over 4,000 people in attendance. Now, with about 230 people every Sunday, Local Church is a stark contrast to his former position. 

    “The church is people. Not a building, not a logo or website, not an event. It’s people, walking together on the mission Jesus has given his followers: to go and make disciples,” Kinny said. 

    This is not the first time these words have been put together when it comes to Christianity. Many pastors agree that getting the definition of  “church” right is critical. 

    Understanding that the church is God’s people and not a physical place helps believers understand the importance of others and the insignificance of the building they are meeting in. 

    A major benefit from having a small church is the relationship that exists between congregation and pastor. 

    Kinny believes making disciples happens in this sort of “context of relationship.” 

    He says the most appealing aspect about smaller numbers is that there is this relationship dynamic immediately available to the congregation. While leadership in any size church can be healthy or unhealthy, small churches make personal relationships between congregation and pastor an initial priority. 

    Because mega churches generally have over 2,000 attendees, it’s easier for them to operate more as businesses, rather than churches. Greater staff numbers are necessary, more volunteers and people in ministry are required, and greater funds are needed in order to provide a great experience for each guest. 

    While mega churches have beneficial monetary impact on things like missions and donations to important causes, they often lack the intimate relationship and accountability that comes from small churches. Kinny confronts this reality:

    What about discipleship? What about individuals growing in their walk with Jesus, taking on the responsibility to own the call to make disciples? We live in a culture where we’re more comfortable with being a spectator. Christianity is not for spectators. We live in a culture that lifts up personalities and individuals to a dangerous height – many times only to watch them fall. It’s one thing to fill a calendar with events, it’s another to sit down with a person wrestling through the brokenness of life, processing the love of God.

    There were some challenges in starting Local Church. 

    For one, leaving a former church to start a new one can have relational impacts. In other words, it’s important to leave your community respectfully and with good intentions.

    “Communicating with leadership you’ve labored with for years and with a church you love, in a way that is clear and agreeable is not easy,” Kinny said. “Arriving at a clear plan where all are in unity is not easy.”

    Walking away from one church to start a new one has its risks. While starting Local Church, some of the challenges they faced included financial burdens, developing leadership in others, and staying true to their vision. 

    However, for Pastor Daryn, the greatest challenge came when he understood he had to remain consistent and dependent in prayer. 

    “…dependence on the Spirit is vital,” Kinny said. 

    Even while challenges can come often, Kinny was not shy to point out the blessings from this experience.

    “God has been incredibly faithful to provide people, funds, a building and direction,” Kinny said. “I’m still learning the “lead pastor” role after pastoring as an associate for 20 years. I’m enjoying this new role. There is so much to celebrate! It’s humbling, encouraging and faith-building.” 

    There are always opportunities to grow churches. Making disciples is something that Christians value and want to see in their communities. Doing it effectively with love and intention is considered equally valuable. 

    There is a shift in the culture of Christianity that is moving away from bright lights and modern mega churches, back to the foundational small environments that the original disciples of the Bible started with.

  • Midtown St. Petersburg has a nutrition deficit

    Midtown St. Petersburg has a nutrition deficit

    Pictured Above: St. Pete Youth Farm hosted the Women’s Appreciation event on March 27. (USF/Catherine Burke)

    By Catherine Burke

    There is a clear discrepancy between health and nutrition equity in the St. Petersburg area.. A lack of community awareness around this issue is the reason why many people don’t pay attention to the clear nutrition deficit in the Midtown area of St. Petersburg. 

    Have you ever noticed the two Publix Supermarkets across the street from each other on the busy intersection of Fourth Street North and 38th Ave. North? What about the Winn-Dixie that backs right up to a Sam’s Club on Fourth Street North and 22nd Ave. N? Both of these examples include addresses containing the direction “North.” Head over to the south side of St. Petersburg and there isn’t a single full-functioning grocery store. 

    Nutritionist and St. Petersburg local, Wendy Wesley, thinks access to fresh produce in the south side of the city is scarce.

    “Within a 42-block of St. Petersburg’s south side are two USDA-designated food deserts where access to fresh fruits and vegetables is severely limited,” Wesley said. 

    Wesley advocates for St. Petersburg because she recognizes that the closest food options for some families living in this area would be Dollar General stores and convenience stores, both of which offer no real nutritional food, only processed and packaged goods. These stores are not acceptable substitutes for real grocery stores that supply fresh produce and healthier food options.

    Food insecurity has long plagued the south side of St. Petersburg. High poverty levels combined with zero access to nutritional food has much to do with the nutrition deficit. 

    Mandy Cloninger, the chief impact officer of Feeding Tampa Bay, thinks that the real problem is rooted much deeper than this.  

    “In addressing hunger and food insecurity we have to address the root causes – systemic racism and poverty,” Cloninger said.

    According to Greater Chicago Food Depository, systemic racism is where you have public policies, institutional practices, cultural norms that reinforce differences and devalue people of one group as compared to another. And generally, that’s rooted in history. It disadvantages people of color and centralizes whiteness

    Angela Odoms-Young,from the Greater Chicago Food Bank echoes a similar sentiment. 

    “Many people in Black, Latinx and Indigenous communities are drowning with unemployment, poverty and food insecurity,” Odoms-Young said. “Racism and discrimination are what’s pushing them into that river.” 

    As a community, St. Petersburg,, has a combined responsibility to do everything to stop this repeated history of food insecurity that is stemming from racism. Wesley herself has brought this to the attention of Mayor Rick Kriseman, City Council and people of power throughout the community.

    She has advocated for the implementation of “DG Fresh” throughout the local Dollar General stores which would add a fresh fruits and vegetables section to the stores. 

    Aside from this, creative long-term solutions are necessary in the fight against food insecurity. One example of this would be the 2019 founding of the St. Pete Youth Farm in Midtown. The St. Pete Youth Farm is a community gardening program that involves local children to encourage a healthy lifestyle and sense of responsibility. 

    The Farm’s Collaboration Manager, Carla Bristol, has the brightest vision for this program. 

    “This is not only an opportunity for the children to learn important life skills, but they will bring home what they learned to their mother, father, brothers and sisters,” Bristol said. “Our hope is that this sets off a chain reaction within the community.” 

    Bristol left her career in the corporate world to pursue a more fulfilling life. She opened her own art gallery, Gallerie 909, to give a space to celebrate and honor the culture of the black community. 

    “Everything I do centers around community,” Bristol told The Gabber in 2020. 

    Now she has centered her life heavily around the youth of south St. Pete to create necessary change. 

    The goal of the St. Pete Youth Farm is to eventually progress into a full-functioning produce center where anyone can come to participate and purchase the locally grown food. 

    “We hope that these methods being highly visible in the community of greatest need will shift eating options and drive healthy outcomes,” Bristol said.

    The St. Pete Youth Farm frequently hosts events to expand their reach within the community and get their name out there. On March 27, the farm hosted an event honoring notable black women who have had a strong impact within the community. 

    “It’s our responsibility to honor these women who work tirelessly to change the future and make this a better place to live,” Bristol said. 

    Additional programs to fight food insecurity in south St. Petersburg include the introduction of “SNAP Dollars” from Kenwood Organic Produce and the new Food Policy Council (FPC). 

    SNAP dollars allow low income families access to fresh produce from local farmers at a lower cost. This still benefits the local farm stands and promotes a healthy lifestyle for low income families who would otherwise have no access to these foods. 

    The FPO was created in light of COVID-19 which severely impacted people who were already affected by food insecurity. The council specifically comes up with ideas to counter the nutrition deficit in the area, working full-time to come up with new ideas for the future such as USF’s Hydroponic Farm that begins this summer. 

    The clear food inequity in areas of St. Petersburg can only be fixed when people are aware that there’s a problem. 

    Women like Wendy Wesley and Carla Bristol dedicate their lives to improving the health and wellness of this community. They believe that there is no problem too deep rooted in history that it cannot be fixed and that people have the right to access nutritional food. 

    Bristol believes in “thinking big.” 

    “I know where my ancestors have been and I know my role in the community to prevent further racism and discrimination,” Bristol said.

     It begins with changing the norms and fighting for equal access to food across the city no matter one’s income or race. 

    It’s up to the citizens of St. Petersburg to aid Wesley and Bristol in their missions and change the course of history. 

  • A retired teacher and former students reminisce about Douglas L. Jamerson Jr. Elementary

    A retired teacher and former students reminisce about Douglas L. Jamerson Jr. Elementary

    By Rebecca Bryan

    Elementary school years define a child’s life. The experiences during these stages help develop children’s personality traits, how they interact with others, how they respond to trauma and more. 

    Although to most it may become a far-off memory, these long years leave a mark on everyone, whether they realize it or not. 

    Elementary school students live through a number of experiences both at school and at home. These experiences may be easy to forget but they are also a big factor in how a child acts later in life as an adult. 

    Within the realms of St. Petersburg, lies a small, yet sturdy community called Midtown. Most drive through it without ever knowing it has a diverse history of African American achievement. Midtown takes up a large portion of the south side of St. Petersburg, but it covers enough ground to encompass many schools from elementary to college. 

    Douglas L. Jamerson Jr. Elementary resides almost right in the center of Midtown. The school has a specific concentration on mathematics and engineering, and offers special programs such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and blended Pre-K. 

    When Melissa Stanton, a retired elementary school teacher, first stepped foot in front of a classroom back in the 90s, her nerves raced. The little faces of her elementary school kids would soon calm her anxiety as she learned to connect to these children in many ways.

    Any teacher could easily relate to this initial feeling of fear when encountering their first classroom full of excited kids.  It gets easier with time as they continue to form bonds with the kids  who light up their classroom.

    Melissa Stanton worked at Jamerson for 17 years, starting when the school first opened. She taught kindergarten the entire time, loving the way her life became easily inspired by the kids around her. When she retired in 2019, she had an abundance of memories that have changed her life to this day.

    “One child who stands out was a little girl who was just learning to speak English. Both her parents were from different Eastern European countries, so she was fluent in both languages. Her parents spoke very little English, and they were not able to help her with her homework,” Stanton said. “This little girl, like others in my class that were learning to read and write, not only became one of my top readers, but she was able to read and comprehend her homework assignments on her own. I was so impressed with her determination to conquer a new language on her own.”

    Stanton came a long way from nervously standing in front of a classroom full of 20 kids. While her students were shaping their lives, they had no idea that they were also shaping Stanton, despite the age difference that stood between them.

    “I had so many students who made a difference to me,” Stanton said. “In fact, every one of them.”

    Zaria Johnson, a 21-year-old college student, spent her entire childhood at Jamerson. With it being close to home, she was able to walk to and from school every day. She loves the way Jamerson created such a unique childhood for her and recalls that time with nostalgia.

    “I would wake up excited for school, which might seem weird to others,” Johnson said. “But I loved that school. As a kid, I didn’t have the best home life, and I still don’t, but Jamerson was able to take me away from that.” 

    With a smile on her face, Johnson added, “I thank Jamerson, honestly, with my upcoming graduation, for teaching me what I need to know today.”

    Similar stories can be heard from 22-year-old insurance agent, Rachel Bryan. She spent most of her childhood at Jamerson, because her mother worked in the front office.

    “Oh, yeah, are you kidding? Jamerson was practically my second home. When was I never not there?” Bryan said. “Sometimes I really wish I could go back to those days. My life seems to be nothing but stressful anymore, but back then, life was peaceful and fun. Being a student at that school was like being a part of a small community. Everyone knew each other and recognized your accomplishments.”

    Midtown may be a small community but it houses  opportunities for children to learn and grow..  Besides Jamerson,Perkins Elementary and Midtown Academy join the effort to inspire children and shape up their lives for a better future. 

  • St. Petersburg Saturday Morning Market provides fresh produce to locals

    St. Petersburg Saturday Morning Market provides fresh produce to locals

    Pictured Above: The market participates in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Incentives.

    Courtesy of Downtown St. Pete

    By Olivia Sawdy

    Located at the heart of St. Petersburg, the Saturday Morning Market gathers almost every week. 

    At the market, you can find anything from body care and clothing to local produce and pet food. 

    SNAP provides nutrition benefits to supplement the food budget of needy families, so they can purchase healthy food and move toward self-sufficiency. 

    The market provides a “match” for Florida grown fruits and veggies. This means that for every SNAP dollar spent at the market, individuals can receive a matching financial incentive. For example, $50 from the EBT card gives individuals $100 to spend at the market, which effectively doubles their purchase.  

    This makes it incredibly affordable for those who use EBT to purchase the healthy and nutritious foods they need.

    Residents in the Midtown and Gulfport areas of St. Petersburg have a hard time finding healthy foods as the only grocery store in that area closed years ago. 

    The Saturday Morning Market offers a solution by consistently housing 171 vendors, 84 of which sell food, including fresh produce. 

    Many of the options for food are based on people making and selling their own recipes, and many of the food vendors are local farmers who sell their local produce and advertise their farms for people to visit and support. 

    “For the last 11 years, we have maintained and harvested blueberries from about 40,000 plants,” said the owners at Blues Berry Farm in Plant City. “When blueberry season is among us, which is right around the corner, having so many plants helps us maintain and provide an incredible amount of fruit that can be bought when we are at the market or on sight at our farm.” 

    The Blues Berry Farm also has a U-pick season where guests can go to their farm and pick their own blueberries. 

    The Dancing Goat is another vendor at the Saturday Morning Market. 

    “Our mission is to provide the most high quality, delicious, and healthy products while showing the individual love and care that each animal deserves,” Pam Lunn, owner of The Dancing Goat, said. “Quality is paramount, and we personally stand behind our products.” 

    The farmers are all very proud of their products and love attending the Saturday Morning Market. It is a great way for them to share everything that they have and gain loyal customers that often also buy from their farms, not just from the market. 

    “I always enjoy going to the Saturday Morning Market,” Alex Simpson, a customer at the market, said. “Every time I go, I find food and other fun things at such an affordable price that it makes me really want to keep going back.” 

    Many people who attended the market for the first time never knew how affordable it truly was. It was also very convenient for them to have local produce available. They knew it was coming from a good place and wanted to support the local sellers. 

    With the pandemic still present, the market has come up with some rules that market goers and vendors have to follow. 

    Free masks are provided and must be worn by everyone during market hours. Customers who choose not to wear a mask will be asked to leave. There is also controlled entry and only three spots in which guests can enter the market. 

    Even though the market offers an array of different foods and drinks, eating is not permitted on the premises. Customers can eat outside of the market footprint and vendors are required to package their food in “to-go” containers. Drinking is allowed inside the market. Your drink must be in your hand and your mask must be on and visible to others. 

    The market’s mission is “to be the ‘heart’ of St. Petersburg- the place, more than anywhere else, that people feel a strong sense of joyful connectedness and creative community.” 

    Many customers have shared that they think the market is the most significant improvement to the quality of life ever in St. Petersburg. 

    Every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in downtown St. Petersburg, locals and people from out of town can attend the market. 

    Since the pandemic, the Saturday Morning Market has adopted an online model which allows customers to order food from vendors online and pick it up on Saturday morning. This helps avoid overcrowding and is a nice alternative for those who love to support the vendors at the market and want to be safe.

    Customers and vendors can enjoy live music while attending. The market is always striving to give everyone an extraordinary social experience. 

    “Going to the market is always a good time for me. I love talking with vendors and every time I come, I find something new that I just love,” Simpson said. 

    With so many different vendors attending the market, there is something there for everyone. 

  • St. Pete Youth Farm celebrates Earth Day

    St. Pete Youth Farm celebrates Earth Day

    Pictured Above: Carla Bristol and members of the Youth Farm pictured with the Proclamation. 

    Courtesy of the St. Pete Youth Farm on Instagram

    By Andrew Quinlan

    The St. Pete Youth Farm has been working diligently to promote healthy living and youth involvement in its community, including a spirited celebration of Earth Day on April 22. 

    The farm, which was founded in 2019, has become a fixture in the region in its two years of establishment. 

    Their urban farm project’s mission is to provide access to nutritious food to citizens of the south St. Petersburg area. They also hope to encourage young urban students to think creatively and grow as individuals, while learning important life skills in a variety of areas, such as agricultural knowledge and financial literacy. 

    Each week, members of the youth farm meet to learn and practice a number of topics, including planting and harvesting, communication and teamwork, artistic self-expression, resume building and job readiness and mental health and mindfulness. 

    “It’s been a really great experience working with the Youth Farm,” Youth ambassador, Anaya Graham, said. “In such a short time, and through a lot of obstacles, like the pandemic, we’ve managed to make a really big impact on our community. I’m really proud of the work we’ve done and look forward to build upon it as we keep growing.”

    Carla Bristol, the manager of the St. Pete Youth Farm, had a clear intention when she helped pioneer the group in 2019. She wanted to put younger people in a leadership position. She describes the program as 40% agriculture based, and 60% youth development. 

    “I look at it like, every young person that we touch, they then touch other people” Bristol told a University of South Florida St. Petersburg class in a January guest speaking event. “If we put our rich investment into each of the young people that we are touching, that’s part of the long-term strategy for building community… so that they are creating what they want the future to look like, and we’re just merely guides.”

    One of the biggest events for the farm so far in 2021 was their Earth Week Celebration in April. The group set up events over four days during Earth Week to promote a healthier environment.  

    They hosted a free workshop on April 21 at the farm on eating healthy with a vegan diet, and on April 22, Erica Hall spoke to listeners both at the farm and online about the intersections of community, food, and the environment, and how to grow a healthier planet together. 

    Hall is the Chair of the Florida Food Policy Council. On April 24, the council hosted a community workday and market, which included a Gadgets for Good drop-off. Their hard work was recognized that week, when they were presented with an Earth Day Proclamation from Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried. 

    Over the last two years, the St. Pete Urban Youth Farm has done a remarkable amount of work to help both the present and the future of their region. They are certainly a group to look out for as they continue to grow.