St. Petersburg philanthropists Trevor Burgess and Gary Hess are stepping up once again for the St. Pete Free Clinic (SPFC). Their $5 million contribution will fuel the nonprofit’s ambitious five‑year, $100 million Care Forward campaign, which seeks to weave together food assistance, health care and other essential services for Pinellas County residents.
How the gift fits into Care Forward
Care Forward allocates $80 million for expanded programs, $10 million for capital projects and another $10 million to build the organization’s endowment. The new South St. Petersburg facility is the centerpiece of the capital portion. SPFC purchased the former Badcock Home Furniture & More building at 2200 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street S. in June 2025 and plans to convert it into a combined medical office, food pantry and partner‑service hub. The clinic hopes to open the site by late 2026 or early 2027.
One‑stop care for the community
The expansion reflects a broader shift in how SPFC tackles poverty‑related needs. By co‑locating nutrition, health, transportation, identification, housing and public‑benefits assistance, the clinic aims to cut down the number of separate appointments and trips a resident must make. “Trevor and Gary have walked alongside SPFC for more than a decade, as donors, advocates, volunteers and leaders,” said CEO Jennifer Yeagley in a prepared statement. “Their extraordinary gift reflects a deep understanding of both the urgency of today’s needs and what is possible when care is connected in one place.”
Ambitious goals by 2030
SPFC’s Care Forward targets are bold: reach 260,000 Pinellas County residents who identify as food insecure, provide health‑care access to 20,000 uninsured adults and connect 15,000 people with services that improve household stability. The organization’s food‑distribution operation has already grown dramatically, delivering more than 21.5 million pounds of food in 2025 and recording 370,000 pantry visits. Health‑care services rose from 5,600 encounters in 2020 to 18,200 in 2025.
A history of partnership
The Burgess‑Hess partnership with SPFC stretches back to a modest $1,000 donation in 2012. Gary Hess joined the clinic’s board in 2019 and began volunteering at its food bank, while Trevor Burgess organized volunteer projects through his Neptune Flood Insurance firm. In 2024 the duo contributed $1 million and challenged the community to match it, prompting the clinic to name its volunteer program after Hess.
Hess explained, “Volunteering has allowed me to meet the people behind the numbers and see what reliable access to nutritious food can mean for a family. The South St. Petersburg facility will let residents connect with groceries, health care and other resources in the same setting.”
Previous expansion successes
The South St. Petersburg project follows another major SPFC expansion. In 2021 the organization acquired a 36,000‑square‑foot building at 2392 31st Street S., completing extensive renovations in 2024 with the help of a $3 million Pinellas County grant. That site boosted food‑bank capacity during the post‑pandemic surge in demand.
With the new flagship location, SPFC hopes to turn food assistance into an entry point for health care and other services, allowing partners to address multiple challenges during a single visit rather than sending residents through separate systems.
What this means for Pinellas County
For families struggling to put meals on the table and secure medical care, the expanded clinic promises a more streamlined, compassionate approach. By consolidating services, SPFC hopes to reduce bureaucratic hurdles, lower transportation costs and improve overall stability for some of the county’s most vulnerable residents.
The $5 million gift underscores the power of local philanthropy to support community‑driven solutions. As the project moves toward its 2026‑2027 opening, Burgess, Hess and SPFC leaders remain optimistic that the new facility will become a model for integrated care throughout the region.
Original reporting: St. Pete Catalyst — read the source article.
