In a state that generated over $11 billion in farm sales last year, it’s hard to imagine that local families do not have enough to eat. But Rob Ranieri, CEO at Stuart’s House of Hope, says food insecurity affects everyone. “Our clients are children, seniors, single-parent households, kids aging out of foster care; we run the gamut.” Ranieri has been at the helm of the nonprofit for over a decade, launching programs to feed families and empower them to succeed. It is a role he seems born into, but one that came to him serendipitously.
Ranieri first joined House of Hope as a volunteer, helping then-CEO Elizabeth Barbella get Martin County’s permission to use a county-owned building. “During that process, she called me, told me she was leaving, and said she told the board to hire me. I just laughed,” recalls Ranieri. But Barbella was serious and so was the board. “They painted a picture of where they were and where they wanted to be,” he says. “The more I learned, the more I felt like I had a lot of what was needed to get to the next level.” And just like that, Ranieri went from volunteer to CEO.
Under Ranieri’s leadership, House of Hope opened the Golden Gate Center for Enrichment, which now offers no-cost classes and workshops focusing on education, career readiness, health, nutrition, arts, and culture. The House of Hope office in Stuart was also expanded, adding a commercial kitchen and more space to the food pantry “Those were big springboards to focusing not just on feeding people, but feeding them well,” says Ranieri. “We were able to make sandwiches and salads and get them out to people experiencing homelessness. We started a food reclamation program, getting food from area restaurants and caterers.” In 2019, Ranieri took another big step when House of Hope built a hydroponic farm in Palm City to grow fresh produce.
Today, House of Hope has a food distribution network of 35 agencies in Martin, St. Lucie, Okeechobee, and Palm Beach counties. Through partner agencies and food pantries, House of Hope put 1.67 million pounds of food into the hands of families in need last year and helped over 40,000 individuals through its programs.
Ranieri has had an impressive decade, but he’s not slowing down. House of Hope recently won an Impact 100 grant to purchase equipment to freeze-dry, dehydrate, and package food. “This lets us create healthy snacks with tremendous shelf life and minimize food waste,” he says. House of Hope received a recent donation of land in Palm City on which they hope to build a 15,000-square-foot building dedicated to housing and distributing food.
While House of Hope has grown rapidly under Ranieri’s leadership, he points to the efforts of his staff members and volunteers. “They are incredibly committed,” he says. “It’s their knowledge and understanding that helps us to be creative problem-solvers and come up with interesting ways to tackle these issues in our community.”
Hunger by the Numbers
1.67 Million pounds of food distributed through House of Hope’s four pantries and 30 food bank partners in 2025. More than 600,000 pounds of that food was fresh produce.
27,777 pantry services accessed last year through House of Hope pantries in Stuart, Hobe Sound, Indiantown, and Jensen Beach.
26,326 individuals supported each month through House of Hope’s 30 food bank partners in Martin, St. Lucie, and Okeechobee counties.
100,000 cubic feet of hydroponic growing space at Growing Hope Farm (four greenhouses, a freight farm, two orchards, and an in-ground growing area).
18,918 packages of fresh produce that were rinsed, bagged, and distributed from the state-of-the-art packing house facility at Growing Hope Farm.
12% Martin County’s poverty rate. 17 percent of children under 18 are living in poverty. Another 32 percent of all households are employed with limited assets.
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