Find food assistance during this difficult time at the various links below.

FeedingTampaBay – locations throughout West Central Florida.
Metropolitan Ministries – locations throughout the Tampa Bay area.
Daystar is offering food, personal hygiene items and SNAP (The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) assistance outside their facility at 1055 28th St. S in St. Petersburg. Visit their website to confirm times they are open.
St. Vincent de Paul CARES – food distribution at their location in St. Petersburg (401 15th St. N., St. Petersburg). Call 844-727-HOPE or visit their website for more details and to confirm times they are open.
St. Vincent de Paul Hillsborough County – food distribution at their locations in Hillsborough County. Visit their website to find distribution sites and to confirm times they are open.

Children’s Meals
Free breakfast and lunch are being provided to children 18 years old and under in various distribution sites across our five counties. Click on the links below to visit the latest information in each county.

Summer Breakspot programs throughout the state of Florida are open and available to students in need of food. Find a site by clicking here.

CITRUS COUNTY
Citrus County Schools

HERNANDO COUNTY
Hernando County Schools

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY
Hillsborough County Schools

PASCO COUNTY
Pasco County Schools

PINELLAS COUNTY
Pinellas County Schools

Meals on Wheels 4 Kids, a program of TampaBayNetwork to End Hunger, serves meals to children while schools are closed in the following St. Petersburg zip codes: 33701, 33705, 33707, 33711, 33712, 33713. Find more details on their website.

This is a difficult time for many families and individuals. The following resources are available for those in need.

Catholic Charities, Diocese of St. Petersburg
Offers the following financial assistances through the following programs. Right now, these programs are taking phone calls only. Visit the program pages below for contact information. 
Pathways 
Rapid Rehousing
Housing Counseling 
Micro-enterprise Loans

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Housing Choice Voucher Program Opening
The St. Petersburg Housing Authority (SPHA) is opening its wait list for the Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) for the first time in 5 years. 

The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program is the largest housing program in the United States. Participants receive vouchers to help them afford apartment rentals from their choice of landlords in the private market. The rental assistance is designed so that families are not forced to spend an unreasonable portion of their monthly income on shelter, and it also allows families the flexibility to select the community or neighborhood in which they live. Households pay approximately 30% to 40% of their household’s adjusted gross income towards rent and the SPHA pays the remainder directly to the landlord.  Applications will be available online only from 8:00 a.m. on Monday, February 1, 2021 until 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 4, 2021. 

Catholic Charities, Diocese of St. Petersburg is offering medical assistance through the following programs.

Foundations of Life Pregnancy Center (Tampa, St. Petersburg, Dade City and Spring Hill) and Knights Women’s Center – visit foundationsoflife.org for phone numbers and email addresses.

Catholic Charities Free Medical Clinics – are operating reduced hours. Website. Please call in advance for over-the-phone screening:
San Jose Mission (Dover) – (813) 707-7376
St. Andre (Dade City) – (352) 521-1218

There is a lot of fear and anxiety during this time. Check out the resources below for helpful tips and assistance.

Referrals to local counselors
Please call 727-344-1611 and ask for Sabrina Burton Schultz for referrals to local faith-based counselors.

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Resources for Caring for Ourselves and Others
Click here to see a PDF with many helpful suggestions/links compiled by Mary Ann C. Holtz, LMHC, a parishioner at St. Paul Parish in St. Petersburg.

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Coping with Coronavirus: Helping Kids and Families
Along with Fr. Mike Smith, Dr. Nadine Skelton, Dr. Julie Reich, and Mackenzie Kraker staff and ministry leaders in faith formation  prepared a Power Point presentation called Coping with Coronavirus: Helping Kids and Families. This 30 minute presentation, provides simple and practical answers to questions that we all have as adults, parents, grandparents, children, teens related to the unusual times we are living.  Please see the videos below in English and Spanish.

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Accompanying Families with Teenagers while Social Distancing
Discussion Series from the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM)

It’s hard being a family during this moment of isolation and social distancing. Find out some best mental health practices for parents and adults at home with teenagers. What are the challenges in this moment? What might you be seeing in your teenagers? What can we do to help your teens and yourself, from a mental health perspective? View two recorded discussions on the topic below.

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Help Manage Anxiety through Prayer and the Saints
In an episode of The Catholic Talk Show, the hosts are joined by Fr. Michael Nixon to discuss how you can manage anxiety through prayer and the saints. Listen to the episode below.