ST. PETE STRONG You all make us proud to live in St. Pete. You all make us St. Pete Strong. It’s been a wild ride the last couple months in St. Pete and around the world. While fear, sorrow, impatience and even anger have gripped our city as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen the best come out in most. Random acts of kindness. Compassion for the struggling. Comforting words and actions, and a willingness to spend your own savings to help your neighbors, your employees and people you don’t even know. We are an amazing community, St. Pete, and at no other time in history has this been so evident.
Donna and Edward Alex / Patriot Produce
It would be impossible to tell the stories of every individual, every business, every non-profit, who contributed to the kindness train. From our medical personnel to our first responders, our school teachers to our bus drivers, we salute each and every one of you. In this issue, we offer up just a few stories and a lot of kudos, for our local heroes who exemplify the compassion and strength of St. Pete. -Marcia Biggs, Editor
The Alexes have been supplying wholesale produce to hotels and restaurants for nearly 30 years. “We are a small business, just my husband, Edward, and three drivers,” says Donna. “When this hit and all the restaurants closed I did not want to lay off anyone.” One day as she was dropping off some fresh produce, a neighbor suggested that other neighbors might like the drop-offs, as well. After all, most folks were homebound and cooking every meal. Donna took the idea and ran with it. As word got around on social media, the calls started coming. After only two weeks, Patriot Produce had 20 recurring customers. Within a month, they had 200 home delivery clients. Customers choose from a veggie box ($25), fruit box ($25) or a combo box ($35). The variety varies depending on what’s available, says Donna. But all boxes are hand-picked and packed and full of color – everything from corn, cucumbers, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini and lettuce to pineapple, mangoes, bananas, lemons and limes. The demand keeps the Alexes and their drivers busy. Edward will call in orders to their supplier, then they get up at 2am Monday through Saturday and head to Tampa Hillsborough Market where they purchase the wholesale produce which comes from local, national and international farmers. They divvy up the orders and the drivers, wearing masks and gloves, deliver to homes. For now, they deliver mainly near their Snell Isle home and around downtown St. Pete. Donna says she foresees demand continuing for home-delivered produce, even when the economic climate returns to normal. “It’s the way of the future now,” she says. To place an order with Patriot Produce, call (727) 224-4834.
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StPeteLifeMag.com
May/June 2020
