ST. PETERSBURG, Fla - Joanne Braccio says helping those in need, like she once was, is personal.

"I went nights, to Pizza Hut to see if they had pizzas that they were going to throw away so I could feed my kids," she said. "If I can just help one family a day, not only am I changing their life, it's going to change my life because this is what I do."

The founder of the St. Pete nonprofit Love Thy neighbor is expanding her food pantry and thrift shop, Love and Hope Thrift store, due to demand.

"We serve normally about 1,000 people, but it has doubled," Braccio said.

By the numbers:

She said over the past few months, they’ve started serving about 2,000 people every two weeks in a 500-square foot food pantry, and a 300-square foot thrift shop. Braccio says she thinks the number of peop

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