In 2020, an 86-year-old woman named Hilda drove from the Tyrone Boulevard area to a food pantry in St. Petersburg. The groceries she came for were not just for her. She had been sharing her food with a former pastor and his wife, who could no longer get around on their own; a neighbor whose income was cut sharply after her husband died; and another neighbor who was out of work and needed food for his family.
The Gathering of Women Inc. (GOW) sent Hilda home with enough food for her neighbors so she would not have to split her own box, plus the personal items she needed. As she left, she said, “I just hope it continues, this type of kindness.”
It did. Hilda’s visit was part of GOW’s first grant from Pinellas Community Foundation (PCF). Since then, the two organizations have worked side by side through a pandemic, a hurricane, and a government shutdown, with 11 grants totaling $269,381 since 2020, all supporting neighbors across Pinellas County.
Rooted in St. Petersburg
The Gathering of Women, Inc. has served women and families in St. Petersburg and across Pinellas County since 2005. Led by co-founder Samantha Richardson-Hardy, its work has included health workshops for women, scholarships for high school students, music instruction for children, and a community garden.
The food pantry came later. When COVID-19 arrived in 2020, GOW saw hunger rising among the families it already served and opened a pantry to meet the need. At the time, the organization was run entirely by volunteers.
A First Response, Then a Front Door
In April 2020, PCF distributed $15,000 to GOW through the Tampa Bay Resiliency Fund’s COVID-19 Response. GOW reported serving 3,767 people with that funding, but some of the neighbors most at risk could not come to the pantry at all.
In September 2020, a $63,958 grant from the Pinellas CARES Nonprofit Partnership Fund helped GOW expand into home delivery for homebound seniors and families through the end of the year, including paying a Food Delivery Coordinator, a role usually filled by volunteers. In November 2020 alone, GOW reported serving 2,866 people through the program.
One delivery went to an elderly couple in Pinellas Park who had stayed home since the start of the pandemic and were running through the food they had stored. GOW’s team noted that beyond the groceries, what mattered was “the idea that someone would be coming to see how they were doing, making sure they were healthy and safe.”
Steady Support as Needs Grew
In 2021, a $2,500 grant helped GOW provide food to more than 1,700 children. One Friday, a group of children ages 4 to 12 walked up to a distribution and kept coming back each week, bringing friends. When volunteers told them they could come on other days, too, the oldest child explained, “We come on Fridays because we have nothing to eat over the weekend.” GOW began putting more food in the bags.
General Operating Grants of $15,000 each for 2021–22 and 2022–23 gave GOW flexible support as demand climbed. During that time, three other pantries in the area closed and GOW’s lines grew much longer. One familiar face was Edward, who arrived early every Thursday with his pushcart and a smile. He had moved to Florida after losing his wife and his support system, with no job and nowhere to sleep. Edward asked to volunteer at the pantry, and GOW connected him with resources that found him a place to live.
Two Vans, 200 More Families
In 2020, GOW budgeted to lease vans and transportation services for its home deliveries. In October 2022, GOW received $88,023 in federal recovery funds* to purchase 2 delivery vehicles of its own.
GOW stocked the vans with fresh produce, protein, dairy, grains, and other groceries for seniors, people with disabilities, and people with chronic health conditions. They reported that the vehicles let them reach clients in remote areas who previously could not access the pantry, adding more than 200 families to the number it serves. Owning the vans also lowered GOW’s transportation costs, so more of its resources could go toward food. The vehicles helped with volunteer recruitment and retention, too.
Showing Up When Crisis Hits
After Hurricane Helene in 2024, PCF connected GOW with $12,000 through the Tampa Bay Resiliency Fund’s Hurricane Relief. Working around flooded roads, power outages, and damaged communication networks, GOW reached 750 people with food and essential supplies. One of them was Maria, whose home had been damaged and who arrived at GOW’s distribution center without enough food or essential supplies for her children. For Maria, GOW wrote, the food and supplies were “a reminder that she was not alone in this fight.”
In 2025, when the government shutdown left many Pinellas County families uncertain about their next meal, PCF’s 2025 Government Shutdown Response provided $12,000. GOW served 875 people, including a mother of a family of 8 who said, “I either stay home and school my children or figure out how we’re going to pay the bills to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table.” GOW helped keep food on that table.
Building for What Comes Next
PCF’s Social Opportunity Works Fund, which supports small, community-based nonprofits across Pinellas County, has backed GOW three times: $15,000 for the food pantry in 2023, $15,900 in 2024 for the Academy of the Performing Arts music program, and another $15,000 for the food pantry in 2025.
From a volunteer-run pantry in 2020 to a delivery operation reaching homebound neighbors across Pinellas County, GOW has kept its focus on a simple commitment: no one should go hungry.
Hilda hoped the kindness would continue. In St. Petersburg and beyond, it has.
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Inspired by what is possible in Pinellas County? Learn how to establish a fund at Pinellas Community Foundation and put your giving to work: https://pinellascf.org/the-giving-hub/
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*ARPA Nonprofit Capital Project Fund
Some names may have been changed to protect privacy.
