Pie in the Sky’s Senior Program is both a food delivery service and a lifeline for seniors battling isolation and nutrition-related health problems.
Malea Guiriba founded Pie in the Sky as an actual pie shop in Hastings back in 2009, which at the time focused on selling pies to raise funds to help fill the cracks of poverty and social injustice in the area.
The organization ended up building wheelchair ramps, ferrying farm workers to doctor appointments, running a full-blown food pantry, delivering food to homebound seniors and even rallying the community for organized food and sock drives. All to help community members who needed it.
Today, Pie in the Sky primarily focuses on helping low-income seniors throughout all of Northeast Florida who might otherwise fall through the cracks by delivering fresh, healthy produce to their doors.
“The idea is that we’re implementing the upstream approach,” said Guiriba. “We’re addressing the senior hunger issue where it starts.”
The system works thanks to a plethora of volunteers — upwards of 200 of them these days — who hand-inspect, package, organize and deliver fresh produce bags to seniors in need. Each bag contains between eight to 12 fresh items purchased by Pie in the Sky, along with occasional donations of bread, eggs or other necessities from community partners.
Deliveries are made on a bi-weekly basis, but emergency drop-offs are always on the table for a senior who misses the timeframe.
Last year, the organization purchased 89 tons of fresh produce for its seniors, delivering close to 16,000 bags by the end of December for its 714 recipients in need. This year, the number of seniors in need has increased to almost 800 people, an ever-growing list.
“Luckily, we continue to meet the need,” Guiriba said. “We don’t have a waiting list, and we hope to never have one. We depend on the kindness and generosity of the community to keep us going.”
Beyond ensuring that seniors have access to high-quality produce, Pie in the Sky’s mission involves spending time with their recipients, which can have a direct impact on the seniors’ health and well-being.
“Our program is not just a stop-and-drop kind of situation,” Guiriba said. “We always say that it’s not just about the food, it’s about compassion and letting the seniors know that they’re not forgotten.”
To get involved with Pie in the Sky or recommend a senior in need, go to www.pieintheskystjohns.org.
