City leaders and around a dozen residents of the Legacy at Jordan Park gathered on Thursday to celebrate their newest apartment amenity: a food pantry.
It is stocked by several community partners, including the St. Pete Free Clinic and the Boys and Girls Club of the Suncoast. It will open weekly, on Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., to residents of the senior housing apartments at Jordan Park.
The 60-unit midrise apartments offer affordable housing for seniors in St. Petersburg. The senior housing complex, which opened last year, is the result of a $93 million redevelopment project of the historic Jordan Park neighborhood. The neighborhood dates back to 1939 and is named after African American businessman and community leader Elder Jordan Sr.
READ MORE: Jordan Park reopens with a bittersweet homecoming for St. Petersburg's Black community
Once home to one the oldest public housing projects in the state, the worsening condition of the homes stoked controversy among the south St. Petersburg community about whether to preserve or redevelop the site.
Last year, the Legacy at Jordan Park opened its doors as affordable housing for local seniors. Where many original homes and the Jordan Park's administration building once stood is now the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum and the Legacy at Jordan Park apartments.
It's been over a year since residents started moving in to the apartments, and it's at full capacity, according to a St. Petersburg Housing Authority spokesperson.
Residents of the subsidized senior apartments now have the additional resource of an on-site food pantry.
St. Pete Housing Authority social services director Kiara Lovett spearheaded the initiative after fielding consistent concerns from residents about lacking reliable transportation to the grocery store and the financial challenge of affording groceries on a fixed income.
After the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, Lovett watched as residents lined up to use the Jordan Park food pantry for the first time.
"I'm elated, my heart is warm. This is really special to me," Lovett said.
Janie Morris, 70, said she has lived at the Legacy at Jordan Park since it opened. On Thursday, Morris joined the ribbon-cutting after a paint-and-sip event organized by the housing authority.
She said there's lots of organized activities, like the apartment's community garden, where she helps plant dozens of vegetables including okra, peppers and tomatoes.
"I enjoy my residence. I enjoy my resident-family, and I just enjoy doing things around here, enjoy helping people out," Morris said.
While Morris said she doesn't worry about affording food, she said she was struggling to afford housing costs before moving into the Legacy at Jordan Park.
Lovett, the housing authority's social services director, said her next goal is to open a community closet so Jordan Park residents can get donated clothes.
Gabriella Paul covers the stories of people living paycheck to paycheck in the greater Tampa Bay region for WUSF. She's also a Report for America corps member. Here’s how you can share your story with her.
