ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A Pinellas County nonprofit is opening its first brick and mortar store to sell fresh fruits and veggies at affordable prices.

What You Need To Know

  •  Saving Our Seniors is opening a brick and mortar store in St. Petersburg called Your Neighborhood Produce

  •  The store will be a local shop where people can buy fresh produce at an affordable price

  •  The nonprofit's founder anticipates the location will be open Wednesday-Friday

The organization is Saving Our Seniors and is branching out to help as many people as possible, regardless of their age, get cheaper produce.

It doesn’t matter if she’s waking up before the sunrise to go to a farmer’s market or delivering produce to seniors throughout Pinellas County, Kelli Casto’s mission never waivers.

“I feel like I’ve been working on it so much,” said Casto, the founder of Saving Our Seniors. “But I guess you’re never prepared for the first day of doing something different.”

Casto started her organization, Saving Our Seniors, to help seniors find durable medical equipment because of her background as an occupational therapist.

It eventually grew into a nonprofit where she would help seniors get fresh produce.

As she told Spectrum News last April, humble beginnings are an understatement.

“We started our farmer’s market literally in our Chevy Malibu,” Casto said in 2024. “And we’ve grown it, you know, from just like 50 spots to we have over 180 different locations that we service monthly.”

And while the hurricane impacted her donations, according to Casto, the goal for Saving Our Seniors, and ProducePac, where people buy produce which, in turn, funds feeding senior citizens in the area, is still going strong enough to begin this new venture.

“During the hurricane,” Casto said, “I started helping families with SNAP. And I really kind of saw a greater purpose and mission, like for our nonprofit together.”

Which is why we’re now seeing her shop, Your Neighborhood Produce, which is a brick and mortar where anyone can buy these products at affordable prices.

For Casto, she says fresh produce helped her lose over 100 pounds, which is why this is such a big deal for her.

“We’re all struggling,” she said. “I think even now more from the hurricanes and stuff. And if we can bring this to our community and provide fresh, accessible, not break the bank. And I think we’ll all be a little bit healthier.”

In 2024 alone, her organization helped nearly 100,000 senior citizens, so she wants to expand that to more than just the elderly with this shop.

“I’m a little overwhelmed,” Casto said regarding her grand opening of Your Neighborhood Produce, “but it’s going to be great. It’s going to be great.”

When you see Casto in her element, surrounded by avocados, Brussels sprouts and kiwis, it’s what keeps her going and keeps that switch of hers in the on position every single day.

Casto currently has about 25 volunteers and is hoping for more to assist her in her endeavor.

She anticipates the shop, which is located on 49th Street South just south of Central Avenue, will be open Wednesday to Sunday.