2024 Read to Feed
Food For Thought Asks for Community to Help Local Food-Insecure Children
Food For Thought has received $6,000 toward its holiday outreach and more than 4,000 food items! More is needed. During the holidays, life can be tough for the 3,600 children who are food-insecure and enrolled in our programs. They are unable to access free or reduced-cost lunch during the school break. For some, this may be the only source of food they have. In less than two weeks, FFT will be providing Christmas Services to feed 700 families. By sponsoring a family and donating food items, you can
Food For Thought Releases 2022-2023 Annual Report
Food for Thought is pleased to announce that its Annual Report for the fiscal year 2022-2023 is now available. Thank you to all those who contributed their time, talents, and resources to make FFT's 12th year a success! View the annual report here.
Thanksgiving Season with Food For Thought
Every year, Food For Thought Outreach provides special services to the families enrolled in our program for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. The food-insecure children we serve face increased needs while schools are closed for the extended holiday breaks. Our services help bridge the meal gap and ensure critical access to food. Together, we can help make this season one of comfort and joy for the families we serve in Walton and Okaloosa counties. During the 2022 holiday season, we served 700 families
Taster Tickets on Sale for the 9th Annual Eggs on the Beach Cooking Competition
Taster tickets are on sale now for the 9th Annual Eggs on the Beach Big Green Egg Cooking Competition to be held on Saturday, Oct. 14, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Seascape Resort in Miramar Beach. Tasters enjoy unlimited bites, and receive five votes to vote for their favorites and award the 2023 People’s Choice Awards. Presented by Bay Breeze Patio, the event has become one of the most popular and anticipated cooking competitions in the region. More than 20 cook teams will compete for cash and prizes.
Food For Thought’s Summer Impact Review
Sponsor a Student for our Biggest School Year Yet with Food For Thought
$7 Fills a backpack in our Backpack Program! #YouCanHelp fill a backpack with food and empower a child! Sponsor a student for one week or the entire 2023-24 school year for children in Walton & Okaloosa Counties. Click here to sponsor a student. To sponsor multiple children, just add multiple backpacks to your cart!
Inaugural 30A Foam Fest Raises $5,000 for Food for Thought Outreach
The inaugural 30A Foam Fest, presented by Idyll Hound Proper and 30Avenue, raised $5,000 for Food for Thought Outreach. The festival made its debut at 30Avenue on Saturday, May 13 and welcomed over 500 guests to the shopping center for an afternoon filled with craft beer, live music, local food, shopping, activities and much more. Nineteen breweries from across the southeast lined the streets of 30Avenue including Abita Brewing Company, Alga Beer Co., Beach Camp Brewing Company, Cigar City Brewing,
Summer is Almost Here: We are Transitioning to Our Summer Services at Food For Thought
The end of the school year is approaching quickly. There are just two more weeks of backpack deliveries before we transition into our Summer Services beginning June 5th! We’ll be ready to serve Walton and Okaloosa counties across 5 distribution locations with 75% fresh food for the family. Last year we distributed 55 cases of fresh produce each week and over 8,000 Lunchables and cheese snacks per month. See how you can help support our summer efforts here.
Announcing a New Warehouse Purchase at Food for Thought
Food For Thought is pleased to announce the purchased a new 6,500 square-foot warehouse in Santa Rosa Beach. This new location will expand the space available for purchasing and storing food along with distribution preparation. The new warehouse is steps away from our current Santa Rosa Beach location, where we will continue administrative operations and have room to expand the impact of the Emeril Lagasse Full Circle Kitchen program. We will also continue to serve Okaloosa County through our Destin
Food for Thought Summer Services Begin Soon
With only 4 weeks left in the school year, we are getting ready to start our Summer Services. Food for Thought helps bridge the meal gap with 8 weeks of Summer Services, across 5 distribution locations in Walton and Okaloosa Counties. We’ll be serving the families of children in our programs and providing 75% fresh food items. #youcanhelp support our efforts by donating food and sponsoring a family for the summer. Sponsor a FamilyThrough our Summer Services, we feed the entire family with weekly
End of the School Year Drive with Food for Thought
With ten weeks remaining in the school year, now is the time to come together and help our community finish strong! Join us in helping to serve food-insecure students across Walton and Okaloosa County for their final ten weeks before summer begins.Sponsor a student Organize a food drive
Ruby Slipper Baytowne Wharf Offers ‘That Brunch Life’ in Miramar Beach
On Wednesday, Feb. 1, Ruby Slipper Baytowne Wharf celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon cutting. Ruby Slipper offers a vibrant and inviting atmosphere for locals and visitors alike. Brunch is front and center every day. The menu features inspired and playful twists on traditional Southern brunch favorites, including Eggs Benedicts, Beignets, Bananas Foster Pain Perdu and White Chocolate Bread Pudding Pancakes, as well as eye-opening cocktails. Ruby Slipper Baytowne Wharf is part of the Ruby Slipper
Food For Thought Presents Read To Feed
In partnership with the St. Joe Community Foundation and The Walton County Public Schools, we are excited to announce our 2nd year of the Read To Feed Program. The St. Joe Community Foundation will award a grant for each advanced reader test scored 80% and above on by a Walton County School District student will raise $0.25 for Food For Thought Outreach to use to provide free, healthy meals to local students in need. The St. Joe Community Foundation is excited to announce that it will once again be
Read To Feed
The St. Joe Community Foundation is excited to announce that it will once again be providing a grant to the local non-profit Food for Thought Outreach to fund the “Read to Feed” initiative that helps Walton County School District students raise funds to provide free lunches to fellow students in need. The Read to Feed initiative grants $0.25 to Food For Thought Outreach for each successfully completed accelerated reader test with a score of 80% and above. “The Read to Feed program has been inspiring, as
Food For Thought Holiday Season Success
Thank you to our generous donors this holiday season! Your contributions fueled our services over Thanksgiving and Christmas and made an immediate impact in the lives of the children we serve. •Giving Tuesday - Just over $34,000 raised •Sponsor a Family - Just over $8,000 raised•Holiday Food Drive - 12,000 food items donated •Brunch with Santa raised $6,0000 On behalf of the Children we serve, Thank You! With the generosity of our volunteers, FFT was able to serve more than 1,400 families for
Food For Thought Volunteers serve over 1400 Families over Thanksgiving and Christmas
Thank you to our Volunteers! Over Thanksgiving and Christmas our Food For Thought volunteers gave over 400 hours of their time to help pack and distribute our services. We are so thankful for your time and energy!
Christmas Services at FFT
Welcome to Christmas Service Week at Food For Thought Outreach. The children we serve at Food For Thought depend upon the Free/Reduced Breakfast and Lunch program at their school for their main access to food. Over the extended holiday break from school, the needs of the children in our programs only increase. This week, we will provide critical access to food across Walton and Okaloosa Counties to ensure it is Happy Holiday for the children and families in need of our help. With the support of our
Thanks and Giving - Next week, we begin our Thanksgiving Services at Food For Thought
Every year, we provide a special service for both Thanksgiving & Christmas for the children enrolled in our programs across Walton & Okaloosa Counties. With the extended holiday breaks from school, food insecure children will miss many meals and families struggle to cover the increased needs during this season. Food For Thought will bridge the meal gap in the lives of the children we serve and support families during the holidays This year, Food For Thought expects to serve at least 700 families for
Holidays at Food For Thought
The Holiday Season is here at Food for Thought Outreach! Every year, we provide a special service for both Thanksgiving and Christmas for the children enrolled in our programs across Walton and Okaloosa counties. With the extended holiday breaks from school, food insecure children will miss many meals and families struggle to cover the increased needs during this season. Food For Thought will bridge the meal gap in the lives of the children we serve and support families during the holidays. Last Holiday
Rotary Club of Destin Announces New Board, Rotarian of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Scholarship Winner
The Rotary Club of Destin recently announced its 2022-23 Board of Directors: President Marcia Hull, Brenda Gray, Christian Carlee, Michael Burgess, John Prudhome, Zhalman Harris, Bekah Manley, Mackenzie Mainland, Les Porterfield, Shannah Hanks, Shantelle Dedicke, Lori Leath Smith, Ryan Simus, Dave Morrow and Lockwood Wernet. These community leaders will spearhead the club’s fundraising efforts this year to support various charities including Food For Thought, Harvest House Destin, the Mattie Kelly Arts
Emerald Coast Title Services Announces Dynamic New Additions to the Team
Emerald Coast Title Services (ECTS) adds to its experienced team with the addition of Lydia Collins, Licensed Title Agent, and Lindsey McEwan, Licensed Title Agent and Florida Registered Paralegal. Collins will serve ECTS clients out of the upcoming Freeport office, while McEwan will work with clients out of the Santa Rosa Beach office. “I am very excited to have Lydia join our team and help spearhead our new venture into the Freeport market. Freeport is a booming and vibrant city in which we are eager to
Volunteers - You Can Make a Difference in as little as 30 Minutes!
As our services grow, so does our need for volunteers! Every week, FFT needs volunteers to help support our programs. Our volunteer shifts occur during the week as our services are provided every Thursday and Friday. We can help you find a volunteer opportunity that fits within your lifestyle. Volunteers can help in as little as 30 minutes once a month or as frequently as they like. Our biggest need is support delivering and distributing services to our schools. We cannot serve more children without
Thank you for making our 9th Annual Stock the Pantry Party such a success!
YOU DID IT! Thank you for making our Food For Thought 9th Annual Stock the Pantry Party such a success! We raised $91,366 & Collected 40,000 Food Items With this support, our backpack program will start next week! Volunteer information here.
Help FFT Reach our Goal
Yesterday was our 9th Annual Stock the Pantry Party Couldn't Attend? You Can Still Help! Our generous Stock the Pantry Teams have raise $85,784 Help us meet our $90,000 Goal $7 = 10 food items for 1 child Our 12th Year of Backpack Services start Next Week! Help us Stock the Pantry as we serve at least 3,000 food insecure children across Walton & Okaloosa Counties Visit us here
Stock the Pantry Team Registration Extended
Join us for our 9th Annual Stock the Pantry Event as we kick off our 12th year of services at Food For Thought. This annual event helps stock our pantry and fuel our programs. Stock the Pantry is our biggest event of the year and is the starting point for our backpack program every school year. Teams have all summer to collect food and raise funds in this friendly competition. Our goal with this event is collect the food and raise the funds to support the first few weeks of our backpack program that
Food For Thought Kicks Off 9th Annual Stock the Pantry Event
Join Food For Thought for its 9th Annual Stock the Pantry Event, as it kicks off 12 years of service to the community. This annual event helps stock the pantry and fuel programs. Stock the Pantry is the biggest event of the year and is the starting point for the backpack program every school year. Teams have all summer to collect food and raise funds in this friendly competition. The goal with this event is collect the food and raise the funds to support the first few weeks of the backpack program that
St. Joe Community Foundation Donates to Food For Thought
Earlier this year, St. Joe and the Walton County School District created “Read to Feed” to benefit Food For Thought Outreach. Students at the county’s elementary schools were encouraged to read independently and test their retention by taking accelerated reader tests in the classroom. For each successfully completed accelerated reader test St. Joe donated .25¢ to our organization. In total, Walton County students successfully completed more than 185,000 accelerated reader tests. “As education is one of
Destin Chamber Ambassadors Pack 100 Bags for Food For Thought
Thank you to (left to right) Savannah McQuaig of Century 21 Blue Marlin Pelican, Eric Gillum of Homewood Suites by Hilton Destin and Kayla O'Leary of Championship Title Agency, LLC, for donating their time to local non-profit organization Food For Thought! Together, they packed 100 bags, which will be distributed to families during the summer.
Food For Thought Summer Services Start June 1
Food For Thought will provide eight weeks of summer services, reaching 2,000 children per week. There will be five pick up locations in Okaloosa and Walton counties. You can help! Sponsor a family for the summer to help bridge the meal gap. Find details here: https://fftfl.org/products/sponsor-a-family-summer.
Brunch All Day at New Restaurant Ruby Slipper Destin
On May 4, Ruby Slipper Destin celebrated a ribbon cutting with the Destin and Greater Fort Walton Beach chambers of commerce. Ruby Slipper offers a vibrant and inviting atmosphere for locals and visitors alike. Brunch is front and center everyday. The menu features inspired and playful twists on traditional Southern brunch favorites, including Eggs Benedicts, Beignets, Bananas Foster Pain Perdu and White Chocolate Bread Pudding Pancakes, as well as eye-opening cocktails. Ruby Slipper in Destin is part
RE-Fill the Backpacks
Food for Thought has been forced to cut back on the amount of food going into bags for the rest of the school year due to the impacts of inflation and food costs. Instead of 13 items, the bags now contain six items, in an effort to manage the 40% increase in costs. The Alys Foundation wants to help! It will match donations up to $15,000 to help FFT RE-Fill backpacks. With these funds, students can have the food they need every week. Your donation matched here!
Food For Thought & Inflation
Families across the country are dealing with the impacts of inflation. The rising cost of food, paired with the continued supply chain issues are now impacting Food For Thought as an organization. For the remainder of the school year, bags will have six less food items in them as there has been a 40% increase in our costs. FFT is committed to sourcing and purchasing food at the best possible price but the rising cost of food is beyond its control. With the help of friends from 20/30 North, FFT has
Food For Thought To Deliver Its 500,000 Backpack
Food for Thought will delivery its 500,000th backpack during our services the week of April 4! This is more than five million food items to the food insecure children the organization serves in Walton and Okaloosa counties. Its eyes are set on the future and staying strong for another 500,000 bags! Please help FFT #StayStrong and continue to deliver on its mission to remove the negative impacts of hunger and empower children to get the most out of their education. The Board & Committee members at FFT are