Thank you for joining us!
Benison Farm has been a long time coming. After a commercial farmer backed out of his proposal to farm the vacant 1 ½ acre parcel on St. Augustine’s property, the idea sprang in us to continue the farm for a very different reason. Parishioners from both St. Augustine’s and St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church were looking for opportunities for community outreach. Coupled with a desire to address the years’ long lack of fresh produce in south St. Petersburg, Benison Farm became the solution to both dreams. As Frederick Buechner said, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”
Who will we serve?
Pinellas County is Florida’s most densely populated county, with 938,098 residents in 274 square miles. Despite its size, the county has many food deserts, classified by the USDA as impoverished urban areas with no access to fresh fruit, vegetables and other healthful foods, usually due to lack of grocery stores, farmer’s markets and other health food providers. South St. Petersburg is a high-poverty, low-access area. This is the target area for Benison Farm. We cannot serve the entire population of approximately 150,000 people, but hope to make an impact in south St. Petersburg.
Benison Farm 