Today we’d like to introduce you to Karin Stienemeier.
Karin, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born in Brooklyn, NY into a family whose parents grew up in Europe in World War II – one in France and one in Germany. Everyone, particularly the children, suffered from hunger both the oppressed and the oppressor. So, I learned early on from my parents to have no prejudices. They who chose to immigrate to the United States to raise their children in freedom. This has been my belief all my life – that all people are created equal.
I spent most of my adult life living in Germany and my 43-year career with Lufthansa German Airlines took me all over the world both for work and pleasure. Having my son join me in many of these adventures allowed me to additionally view the world through the innocence of a child’s eyes.
I learned that the basic needs of all people, all over the planet are the same: food, shelter, health, love, dignity and joy. It has greatly influenced my own journey.
My feeding of the needy and homeless began in Athens in 2015. While visiting friends there I joined their Sunday night group called PAREA – meaning friends for friends. They are a group of approx. 20 people who get together to feed the destitute on the streets of the City and in the port of Piraeus. Anyone from the group who is available on that day makes 10 warm meals portioned into aluminum containers and writes the name of the meal on the paper lid. On average twelve people participate on a Sunday, so the group is able to provide 120 people with a warm meal every Sunday evening. Having collected all the warm meals, we would gather at 6 pm and put together dinner bags from other donated food items from local shops. Each bag contained: one water bottle, some bread, a sweet pastry, a piece of fruit, cutlery and napkins and of course a warm meal. People would line up and receive a bag, while about 30 meals were set aside for scooter and car distribution around the city. The distributors would either give a bag to or place it next to a person sleeping on the streets or at a bus stop – the thought behind this approach is to take the food to where the people are located, instead of having them come for it, since they are not always able to.
It is a concept that has stayed with me – not everyone living on the streets can get up and find food or drink. These are the non-mobile destitute and they are my people – I strive to care for them in South St. Pete.
When I moved back to the US in 2019, I set this work in motion. Cooking fresh food from pantry and charity donated ingredients and serving it along with snacks and hot or cold tea, clothing and hygiene articles. Being able to serve everything out of my car enables me to stop just about anywhere I see someone in need. A red Rudolf nose on the front of my car lets people know I am the lady who feeds the hungry, making me safe in many local neighborhoods as word of my help spreads throughout the communities in need.
Since the beginning, I have worked mostly alone with the help of my family, but I have also had the support of some great volunteers over the years and we have made many people smile and appreciate and receive whatever we have to give. A meal, a blanket, a hug, a smile, tea but most of all dignity and recognition. How are you today? Many of the small groups caring for the hungry and homeless in our City have created a great network where we all share extra resources and help when needed.
Every other Saturday morning I volunteer at Positive Impact food distribution in Tangerine Plaza, the Church provides fresh produce and food for approximately 3000 adults and children every week, though as everywhere right now, food needs are rising and the amount of food for distribution is decreasing.
Here I often am able to get the produce I need to add as many vitamins as possible to the food I serve.
Much of the work I do is advocacy work. Having learned their stories, their fears and needs, I advocate and explain the importance of serving this community in social media posts, talks to church and other groups or in an interview with Radio St Pete.
Since I also do community work in my neighborhood and with the Council of Neighborhood Associations, I have gotten to know many Council Members and City officials and have submitted concepts for a Bath House for Homeless Families and those in need. It includes plans for a resource center with family and AD compliant showers, clothes, food, and resources such as bus passes and filing for benefits, to better help these marginalized individuals. Particularly families living in their cars with their children are desperate for safe havens and hygiene options, the are over 200 families in St Petersburg in this situation. I have also developed concepts for thumb-print lockers available to store the few precious items that remain for those who have no abode.
I organize food and clothes for the families in poorer neighborhoods and ensure their distribution through our network of volunteers.
I like doing fun things such as volunteering at a local elementary school for a ‘Trunk or Treat’ to better get to know the families in my adjoining neighborhoods. And I am proud member of S.T.O.R.Y. 727, a non-profit helping kids in marginalized communities with mentorship, knowledge and support.
I am also a member of the ‘Downtown St. Pete Homeless Program’.
For me, caring for others is a natural family affair.
I am my 91 year old Mom’s sole caregiver, she helps me by knitting beautiful hats and scarves for the cold period and making sandwiches.
My son lends a hand as often as he can having been with me in Athens when I first got started in 2015.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The new Florida state-wide regulations against camping in the Cities, has made our work much more difficult. After feeding in the same place for 4 years regularly, I was accused of trespassing in June 2025 and told to never feed there again. Since then, I have had to hide from the police to feed my little group that has greatly suffered from this situation. This makes me very sad. Gentrification in South St Pete is making living on the streets more difficult. We helpers are often yelled at by business owners and accused of being the cause for the number of homeless people in St Pete because we take care of those who would not survive otherwise.
The only ‘semi-legal’ location available to us now for feeding and distribution of resources is Williams Park and even there a local restaurant owner is suing the City to fence in the Park to prevent the homeless from staying there during the day or night. This also happens to be the only location aside from the Pier where there are public toilets available to this group. I believe a park belongs to everyone and all should be able to exist together there in peace. Homelessness will not go away, on the contrary it seems to constantly increase as we serve more and more struggling to survive daily. There are many vets, people with mental and addiction issues. We do not judge or require anything in return. Not everyone is able to live in a shelter for a great number of reasons, most of them based on previous personal trauma. I greatly admire the Pinellas Hope program for the homeless, since its creation in 2007 it has served over 10,000 people. In tents and small rooms program participants receive assistance to become self sufficient again. I wish we had such a program in St. Pete.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
In April 2023, I was nominated for the St. Petersburg Hall of Fame and received a Certificate of Appreciation from the City and Mayor Ken Welch. I am very proud that the City recognized my work and the impact it makes on peoples’ lives.
Any big plans?
My plan is to continue my work in the form of both advocacy and feeding and clothing those in need under ever-changing circumstances.
Our ‘Downtown St Pete Homeless Program’ lost our local storage space last year so we are desperately trying to raise money to setup a shed large enough to hold our resources, so that we can centralize them and make them accessible to our network of volunteers.
If you want to support our mission, please donate under the “Go Fund Me” link, it is very appreciated.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://audioboom.com/posts/8646651-st-pete-eats-w-wendy-wesley-karin-stienemeier-helps-the-homeless
- Instagram: @yumandmore
- Facebook: @yumandmore
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karin-stienemeier-65772457/
- Other: https://www.gofundme.com/manage/support-our-mission-fund-a-storage-shed
