50 years of inspiring hope
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For the past 50 years, St. Petersburg Free Clinic has been a fixture in our community.
It began in 1970 as a free medical clinic, started by Warner “Butch” Anderson, a senior psychology major at the University of South Florida, and his friend, Dr. Linda Shaffer, who practiced at Mound Park Hospital. Almost immediately, demand for free medical services grew, and they persuaded several physicians and nurses to donate their services. Generous donors supplied equipment to provide more advanced medical services.
The Free Clinic’s medical services continue to be in demand today. And we've expanded over the years to provide food, shelter, and many other services for our neighbors in need.
Over the coming months, we’ll be commemorating milestones and reflecting on our history with stories in this newsletter.
Join us in celebrating our golden anniversary, and learn how to inspire hope at the
50th anniversary gala
on April 4, 2020.
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Community Hero:
Susan Canty
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Susan Canty, former director of the Free Clinic's Women's Residence, was recently honored as a Community Hero by the Tampa Bay Lightning for her positive impact on others.
Over the past 20 years, Canty has mentored more than 800 homeless women in our community. She volunteers weekly at the Free Clinic's Women’s Residence, a transitional residence that supports single homeless women. Canty helps determine what is necessary for individuals at the Women’s Residence to become self-sufficient while educating and encouraging them to achieve their goals.
Canty received a $50,000 donation from the Lightning Foundation and the Lightning Community Heroes program. She will donate $30,000 to St. Petersburg Free Clinic.
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A holiday party with a greater purpose
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Civil justice attorney Augie Ribeiro wanted to get his friends together for the holidays, but he wanted to do something different than the typical party. Plus, he wanted to give back to the community.
He started hosting a party with great food, fine wines, bourbons, and cigars. In return, he asked his friends to make a donation to the Free Clinic's Men’s Residence, which provides safe, supportive and transitional shelter to single, homeless men working toward sober, stable, and independent living.
The 100 attendees raised more than $16,000 for the Men’s Residence at the third annual event on Dec. 11. These funds made the holidays brighter with a special Christmas dinner and small gifts for the 28 men living in the Men's Residence.
Learn how to
support
the Free Clinic's residential programs.
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Generous partners make food support possible
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Despite a strong economy, the need for food assistance continues to grow. Nearly one in four children and one in seven adults in Pinellas County are chronically hungry.
This year, We Help Services hit a new record in distributing more than 11 million pounds of food.
Our partners made this extraordinary feat possible. Thanks to Feeding Tampa Bay, Publix, Pinellas Community Foundation, St. Pete Run Fest and many others, we're able to provide food - and hope - to our neighbors in need each month.
Help feed our neighbors in need by hosting a
food drive
.
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New director of homeless programs
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The Free Clinic has a new director who is providing guidance to its homeless programs and assisting our neighbors in need of safe shelter.
Glenn Parkinson now oversees the Free Clinic's three residential programs that assist 28 men, 50 women and 14 families at a time.
Prior to joining the Free Clinic, Parkinson worked for Youth and Family Alternatives for the past 20 years. Most recently, he was Director for George W. Harris, Jr. Youth Crisis and Runaway Shelter, which provides short-term housing for at-risk youth.
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Thanks for inspiring hope
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Pinellas Community Foundation
provided a $10,000 grant for operating expenses.
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Schoenbaum Family Foundation
provided $15,000 for Pack-A-Sack.
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St. Pete Run Fest
raised $8,114 for Food Programs through its Transamerica Miles for Meals program.
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Join an Impact Tour to see your impact in action
Our Impact Tours
provide an insider's look into our six locations and eight programs that provide food, shelter and health care to our neighbors in need. The best part: You get to see the impact you've made in the lives of those who need it most.
Tours are held on the second Friday of every month from 9 a.m. to noon. We are currently accepting
reservations
for our upcoming Impact Tour on February 14.
Reservations
are required.
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Feb. 14 or March 13: Impact Tour
Join an
Impact Tour to see how you help St. Petersburg Free Clinic bring hope to our neighbors in need.
Feb. 15 - 17: Isla Del Sol's "Play for Hunger"
Save the date for the 30th Anniversary of the "Play for Hunger" event that benefits St. Petersburg Free Clinic and Daystar Life Center.
Feb. 5 or Feb. 20: Volunteer Info Session
April 4: "Together We Rise" gala
Table sponsorships are sold out! Only a small number of individual tickets remain for our
annual gala.
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Make a difference while you shop
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Did you know that you can support the Free Clinic with every Amazon purchase? Select St. Petersburg Free Clinic through
Amazon Smile and a portion of your purchases are donated to the Free Clinic when you use the
Amazon Smile link to shop.
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Many of our friends leave something in their will to us. If you would like further information, please
contact us
.
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St. Petersburg Free Clinic
With compassion and respect, St. Petersburg Free Clinic changes lives by providing food, shelter and health care to our neighbors in need.
727.821.1200
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