{"id":416091,"date":"2026-10-01T21:42:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T21:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/416091\/"},"modified":"2026-10-01T21:42:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T21:42:08","slug":"transformational-5-million-gift-drives-st-pete-free-clinics-expansion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/416091\/","title":{"rendered":"Transformational $5 Million gift drives St. Pete Free Clinic&#8217;s expansion"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>            <a class=\"gofollow\" data-track=\"NjQ3LDEsMSw2MA==\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thelucehotel.com\/offers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"280\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http:=\"\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ILTB-The-Luce-Web-Banners-1280x280-1.jpg\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"280\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ILTB-The-Luce-Web-Banners-1280x280-1.jpg\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Local philanthropists Trevor Burgess and Gary Hess have committed $5 million to the St. Pete Free Clinic (SPFC) to anchor Care Forward, an ambitious five-year, $100 million initiative aimed at expanding community support services across Pinellas County.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The record gift will fund a new flagship facility in South St. Petersburg designed to unite nutritious food distribution, expanded medical care, and social service navigation under one roof.<\/p>\n<p>Integrated Approach to Community Care<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Through the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thespfc.org\/careforward\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Care Forward campaign<\/a>, SPFC aims by 2030 to reach all 260,000 food-insecure residents in Pinellas County with fresh produce and groceries, while expanding healthcare services to 20,000 uninsured adults.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The $100 million plan allocates $80 million for direct program growth, $10 million for capital projects (including the South St. Petersburg facility) and $10 million for the clinic\u2019s long-term financing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTrevor and Gary\u2019s extraordinary gift reflects a deep understanding of what is possible when care is connected in one place,\u201d said Jennifer Yeagley, CEO of SPFC. \u201cThis investment will help create a lasting community resource where neighbors can find nourishment, healing, and practical support with dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http:=\"\" alt=\"Drive through food pantry with fresh fruit, vegetables, juices, and more\" class=\"wp-image-23720\" data-lazy- data-lazy- data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/90936381_4059317450752515_3564559922077106176_o-1024x576.jpg\"\/><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/90936381_4059317450752515_3564559922077106176_o-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Drive through food pantry with fresh fruit, vegetables, juices, and more\" class=\"wp-image-23720\"  \/>The St. Pete Free Clinic has operated free drive-thru food pantries<\/p>\n<p>From $1,000 to $5 Million<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The landmark gift represents the evolution of a 14-year relationship between the donors and SPFC, which began with an initial $1,000 donation in 2012. Over time, both Burgess and Hess became deeply involved in the clinic\u2019s day-to-day operations. Hess joined the Board of Directors in 2019 and regularly volunteered at the Jared S. Hechtkopf Community Food Bank, while Burgess mobilized corporate support through Neptune Flood Insurance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cVolunteering allowed me to meet the people behind the numbers and see what reliable access to nutritious food can mean for a family,\u201d said Hess, for who SPFC\u2019s volunteer program was named in 2024 following a previous $1 million matching gift.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe believe in Care Forward because it pairs bold ambition with a proven ability to deliver,\u201d added Burgess. \u201cThis gift is an investment in the people of Pinellas County and in a model of care that can change the trajectory of a life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>How to Get Involved<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SPFC leaders hope this major gift will inspire broader community participation as the organization works toward its 2030 vision. Community members and local organizations can support the campaign and clinic operations by volunteering or making a contribution.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To learn more about getting involved or contributing to the Care Forward initiative, visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thespfc.org\/careforward\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">www.thespfc.org\/careforward\/<\/a>.\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Local philanthropists Trevor Burgess and Gary Hess have committed $5 million to the St. Pete Free Clinic (SPFC)&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":416092,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":["post-416091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=416091"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416091\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/416092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=416091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=416091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=416091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}