A Little Holiday Kindness at Mistletoe Market in St. Pete Beach

Some holiday outings leave you with a warm memory. Mistletoe Market offers a chance to make one while finding a way to care for children close to home.

The Kind Mouse will be at Mistletoe Market on Saturday, December 12, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Horan Park in St. Pete Beach. This festive community gathering is one of the invitations in A Season of Kindness, a holiday campaign with several ways to help feed local children.

A Season of Kindness runs from October through December and brings together events, a food drive and giving opportunities. Mistletoe Market is its invitation to spend time with neighbors while getting to know a local cause. Whether you have supported The Kind Mouse for years or are hearing about it for the first time, you can begin with a conversation.

Come for the gathering, stay for the kindness

The season can move quickly. An afternoon among neighbors is a welcome chance to pause, enjoy the holiday spirit and remember what our community can do together. Visit The Kind Mouse at the market to learn about its work and the other ways to take part in the season.

A name on a screen can be easy to scroll past. Meeting people who care about a local mission gives that name a little more life. The market offers a chance to slow down, say hello and find out how children in Pinellas and Manatee Counties receive support.

The Kind Mouse will be part of the gathering, and that is a chance to ask about the work behind the cheerful name. How does food reach children? How might a school, workplace or family join in? You do not have to arrive with a plan. Sometimes the most useful first step is simply learning what is happening close to home.

The story behind the little mouse

The Kind Mouse helps provide dependable food for children across Pinellas and Manatee Counties. Known as a gap filler, it helps meet children’s food needs that other services may not cover. Volunteers and trusted community partners help that support reach children with dignity and care. In Manatee County alone, the organization serves over 1,000 children each week.

Those volunteers and partners help food reach children when their families need extra support. The community stands behind that quiet work, and gatherings like Mistletoe Market help more neighbors see how they can be part of it.

There is no need to carry a heavy story through a holiday outing. A warm conversation about what The Kind Mouse does can be hopeful as well as honest. Childhood hunger is a serious need. It is also a need our community can respond to together, with practical ways to give food, time and support.

Carry the spirit home

Mistletoe Market is one stop along the season’s path. The Holiday Food Drive continues through December 18, welcoming collections from individuals, schools, workplaces and community groups. Year-end gifts can be made through December 31, and monthly giving offers a way to keep showing up after the decorations are put away.

Each way helps the quiet work of feeding children continue after the market closes. That is the lovely thing about A Season of Kindness: an afternoon can lead to another small act of care when the season moves along. A little holiday cheer can travel a long way when neighbors turn it into care for local children.

If you are coming with friends or family, share what you learned on the way home. A single conversation can lead someone to host a drive, make a gift or keep The Kind Mouse in mind the next time a neighbor asks how to help local children. Those choices are personal. The market offers a friendly place to discover them.

If you plan to visit, check the A Season of Kindness page for event details before you go. Mistletoe Market takes place Saturday, December 12, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Horan Park in St. Pete Beach. We hope to see you there. There is always room for one more helper.