All Faith’s Food Bank has opened Margie’s Market, a free grocery store in Sarasota’s Newtown community, addressing years of limited access to fresh, nutritious food options. The market operates inside the Goodwill Manasota Job Connection Center at 1781 Dr. Martin Luther King Way, providing residents with walking-distance access to groceries and employment services. The Charles and Margery Baranick Foundation contributed more than $700,000 in grants to support the market’s first year of operations.
“It makes me want to cry, not just sad cry, but a good cry,” said Bonnie Hardy, a Newtown resident who welcomed the new market. Hardy explained the financial relief the free groceries provide to community members struggling with rising costs. “It means I can come get a meal for a week or so and then I’ll be able to pay my light bill, my rent, or do something. Get medicine. It’s hard times right now and gas going up again,” said Hardy.
Nelle Miller, President and CEO of All Faith’s Food Bank, said the market responds directly to community feedback about what residents needed most. “What people wanted was choice, agency and dignity and the ability to come to shop when they want to, and we felt like we could do that,” said Miller. The organization had been serving the Newtown community through traditional food distribution methods before developing the market concept based on resident conversations.
Miller emphasized the strategic location selection, noting transportation barriers that prevented many residents from accessing existing grocery options. “We did a lot of mapping and gapping where the meal gaps were, and we know this is a very densely populated area and a lot of people here don’t have cars because they don’t really need cars, but they can’t get to distributions and Publix and carry everything 3 miles away. This is local. This is proximate,” said Miller. The market’s proximity eliminates the 3-mile distance residents previously faced to reach the nearest Publix grocery store.
Diane Hicks, a lifelong Newtown resident, praised the comprehensive services available at the single location, which combines food access with employment and support services. “It’s everything that a person that doesn’t have transportation can come to, and you have a choice of food that you can get. There’s other areas that can help us as a human being, to make choices for our life. It can be done here and I love it. I’m so excited,” said Hicks. The market’s shelves are fully stocked with healthy and nutritious options that had been lacking in the area for years.
All Faith’s Food Bank operates the market with a no-questions-asked policy, ensuring no one will be turned away from accessing free groceries. “This is what has been missing in Newtown, and please come and enjoy and come and enjoy. I am. Come and join me,” said Hicks, encouraging community members to utilize the new resource. New users need only register by phone or in person to begin shopping at Margie’s Market, which provides one-stop access to both food and vital employment services within the Goodwill partnership location.