ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — "I have to go to the cheaper places, which I feel I lose dignity doing. So there's a little dignity here," said Patricia Bishop.
We found Bishop just outside the Tarpon Springs Recreation Center, waiting for her fresh produce.
"It makes you feel you're not forgotten," she said.
Bishop picks up the produce to make her meals for the week.
"The problem is, I have Celiac. And with Celiac, you have to eat fresh vegetables. So this is my only outlet because the other locations give you cake, cookies, ice cream, and I can't eat that. So I come here, and I'm happy," Bishop said.
The fresh produce comes from Saving Our Seniors, a St. Pete-based non-profit started by Kelli Casto.
Casto, her volunteers and the van travel across Tampa Bay to meet seniors where they are.
"They often feel forgotten about or invisible in our society, and with Saving Our Seniors, we're able to touch them once a week," Casto said. "Right now, we deliver medical equipment to a lot of them. And we're not just there for a quick drop off, we become a friend to them, and we're able to help them with other things."
This weekend she is launching Produce Pac.
Anyone will be able to purchase a large or small box of fresh, quality customizable ingredients delivered to you and in turn, a senior would get a box, too.
"Can't give out bad food. I just can't do it, and I feel like our seniors deserve the best, so that's why Produce Pac will allow us to continue our mission of no senior without," explains Casto.
"It's extremely difficult as a senior. You get older, you lose spouses, you survive on your own and this is what God brings us," said Bishop.
To find out how you can get a Produce Pac, click here for more information.
