Pie in the Sky is Filling the Bellies – and the Hearts – of St. Johns County’s Seniors

St. Johns County is home to more than 6,000 hungry seniors. The idea of providing for these elderly citizens would have been deemed overwhelming by most. But not for Malea Guiriba, founder of Pie in the Sky, a local nonprofit dedicated to fighting senior hunger and helping those in need.

More than 10 years ago, Malea served as the rural services coordinator at a food pantry in Hastings. It was there that she saw firsthand the shortage in the availability of basic needs and consequentially witnessed the day-to-day struggles many individuals faced. While funding for the Hastings program was slashed, Malea knew she had to continue her work to provide for those in need.

Therefore, in 2009, Malea took her “pie in the sky” ideas on ways to help people and began baking pies for charity out of her shop on Main Street in Hastings. A few years later she began distributing fresh produce to seniors from her front yard. This operation started with 12 seniors and quickly grew to more than 250. In February 2018, long having outgrown Malea’s front yard, Pie in the Sky opened its current operating center on 134 Riberia Street in St. Augustine.

Today, Pie in the Sky directly serves all four corners of St. Johns County. Every two weeks, the nonprofit provides fresh produce to more than 450  seniors in need. Those they serve suffer from chronic illnesses, are challenged by rent burden or simply can’t afford fresh fruits and vegetables. 

But Pie in the Sky’s assistance to help seniors reaches beyond bi-weekly produce provisioning. “It’s so much more than that,” explained Malea. “It’s about filling all the gaps where it’s needed the most and helping the community members that no one else can.”

Pie in the Sky connects people with resources and facilitates long-term solutions to problems that affect the lives of the elderly, the poor, the historically underserved, and the disenfranchised people of our community.

For example, the organization has helped purchase dentures for a man trying to build his confidence up for an interview, donated a grill to a man living off the grid with no running water or electricity, purchased bus tickets for people starting over, provided strollers to mothers in need, built wheel chair ramps, painted houses, and much more.

“If there is someone in need, we aren’t going to turn them down,” said Malea.

With 6,000 hungry seniors in St. Johns County Pie in the Sky’s primary focus remains on their senior program.  “We wanted to fill a need that we knew already existed, and we realize we can’t feed all 6,000 seniors, but we can start somewhere,” said Malea. Fresh produce is crucial for healthy living and it only costs pie in the sky $262.50 to feed a senior for a whole year, that’s 72 cents a day.

“But it’s so much more than just food, it’s about getting to know these people, truly making a difference, it’s about making these connections, having compassion and spreading the love,” said Malea.  The health benefits plus the added benefits of social connections has a huge impact on the lives of these seniors, as many of them have little to no social interaction especially during today’s times as Covid-19 has added extra challenges. “It’s not just about filling the hunger of the belly but filling the hunger of the heart too,” said Malea.

For more information on ways to volunteer or donate go to Pieinthesky.org or contact Phyllis Wood at 904-444-4667 or by email at pwood1836@gmail.com.