The Rosemary Beach Foundation is hosting Brews Bites & Bingo at our Santa Rosa Beach Pantry, Friday, July 26th from 6-9:30! We are so excited to be able to host this event, and also to be selected as a beneficiary of this fundraiser. More details on this event can be found below, as well as a link to purchase event tickets in advance. 

Details: 

• Come early (6 - 7 pm), grab your lucky spot, bid on SILENT AUCTION and enjoy small bites by Grayton Beer Brewpub and Grayton Beer Company
• BINGO starts at 7 pm Win some awesome prizes including the GRAND PRIZE, a $500 CASH JACKPOT!
• Make sure to purchase your ticket in advance to save some dough.

Tickets:

Register & Purchase Tickets HERE
$45 Per Person, $55 after July 10th (Must be 21+ years to play)
(Includes Bingo Book*, Dauber, and Two Complimentary Drinks. *There will be 4 cards per game and 10 games total in each Bingo Book.)

$500 Reserved Table for Eight Players (Ages 21 and up)
(Includes Bingo Book, Dauber, and 4 pitches of beer or 2 bottles of prossecco/rose)

FOR EVEN MORE OPPORTUNITY TO WIN, at the event, you may purchase additional Bingo cards or participate in the 50/50 SPLIT THE POT RAFFLE. (Participants may purchase more than one book, but they cannot be split between players.)

SILENT AUCTION ITEMS include artwork gift baskets, restaurant and retail gift cards.  All proceeds will benefit Food For Thought Outreach and the Rosemary Beach Foundation.

We are honored and have gratitude that Food For Thought Outreach is chosen to be one of sixteeen Isagenix Legacy Foundation grant recipients for the 2019 year.

The grant that Isagenix has gifted to Food For Thought Outreach is assisting us to be able to fund the renovations for our third pantry in DeFuniak Springs, and backpack program, to help fight hunger in our community. We have enjoyed working with Isagenix and look forward to the opportunities this grant may allow Food For Thought Outreach to grown in the coming months.

The mission of the Isagenix Legacy Foundation is in line with the core values and goals here at Food For Thought:

"The Isagenix Legacy Foundation creates sustainable impact globally through charitable contributions focused on healthy nutrition and support for underserved children, wellness education for all, and aid for those affected by natural disasters. Through this shared purpose, we leave an enduring legacy in communities around the world."

Isagenix believes in the below three truths, and is using their Legacy Foundation to help make them a reality:

• Every child deserves a healthy, nutritious meal.
• Every person deserves the education and empowerment to live a healthy life.
• Every family deserves the means to survive and recover from natural disaster.

More information on the Isagenix Legacy Foundation can be found HERE.

Isagenix is a trusted and respected organization that exists to inspire and empower individuals, families, and communities to live their best life through a journey of nutrition, health, and overall wellness.

Donations are still needed for the remaining two summer services! Each of the Food For Thought Pantries are open on Tuesdays from 8:30 - 4:30 to accept donations.

Please take this suggested shopping list the next time you go to the store and grab a few of these items to help feed kids for the rest of the summer. OR take a look in your own cupboards to see if there are any food items you are not using that could be donated for our summer meals. 

If you would like to make a monetary donation, you can do so here: 

https://fftfl.org/pages/summer-program-support

Volunteer spots are also available to help pack and distribute the remaining too food services.  The last two food distribution dates are July 1st and July 29th. 

Email us today: volunteer@fftfl.org if you are interested in helping in this way!

Just two weeks away is the 2019 Smoke on the Coast BBQ & Fireworks Festival at the Destin Commons! Join us July 3rd from 5pm to 9pm for BBQ, music and fireworks.

Food For Thought is excited to be partnering with Paula Deen's Family Kitchen this year, and grateful to be one of the benefiting charities from this event.  In addition to the Smoke on the Coast festival, we are also looking forward to partnering with Paula Deen's Family Kitchen, as they will be able to donate un-used or leftover food to be used in the Full Circle Kitchen cooking classes.  This un-used food will be air-sealed so that it can be kept as fresh as possible for the cooking classes. 

The BBQ & Fireworks festival is sure to be a great family friendly event, so make sure to stop by to taste not just the BBQ our team will be serving, but also the many other teams and charities participating.  Below is a list of the teams, and in total, more than $85K will be raised to donate to the benefiting charities in our area.

Participating Barbecue teams and their partnering charities include:

- Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida is partnering with Cold Creek BBQ
- Dog-Harmony is partnering with Cafe Rico
- Destin Boys & Girls Club of the Emerald Coast is partnering with BIG Red Truck
- Habitat for Humanity ReStore Fort Walton Beach & Crestview is partnering with Hub City Smokehouse and Grill
- Children in Crisis, Inc. Florida is partnering with B&C Fire Safety
- Gulf Coast Council BSA is partnering with Smok'n Scouts BBQ Crew
- Youth Village, Inc. is partnering with Waste Management - Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Air Force Enlisted Village is partnering with The Gulf Restaurant on Okaloosa Island
- Rotary Club of Destin is partnering with Rotary Club of Destin
- Jobs4U, Inc. is partnering with Lillie's Q
- Food For Thought Outreach Inc is partnering with Paula Deen's Family Kitchen
- Emerald Coast Science Center is partnering with Bow tie bbq and catering
- Shelter House is partnering with The One and Culinary Pirates
- Opportunity Place, Inc. is partnering with B's Smoking Barbeque
- Niceville Rotary is partnering with Smokin Hot Wheels
- Junior League of the Emerald Coast is partnering with Buh's BBQ - Dry Memphis Style Rub and BBQ Sauces
- The Taylor Haugen Foundation is partnering with BrightView

In addition to plenty of BBQ to taste, there will be live music performed by Heritage and The Forrest Williams Band, with a fireworks show at the end of the night. 

We are looking forward to this event, and hope that you will join us!

More information can be found HERE.

All of us at Food For Thought are so thankful for the volunteers that help with all of our programs! Today, we would like to thank Linda Koch for all of her help that she has provided in the Emeril Lagasse Full Circle kitchen.  Please read below to find out what it means to Linda to volunteer at FFT:

After retiring two years ago from PepsiCo in Dallas, Linda moved to Emerald Coast.  It was important to her to remain busy and to get involved in the community while she was retired. When Linda learned about Food For Thought Outreach, she knew that she had to get involved, and she loves that she is able to help kids to cook at the Santa Rosa Beach pantry, but her time volunteering has also showed her how important it is to get involved and give back as a retired person

At a fund raising event Linda attended over a year ago, is when Linda first signed up to help in the Full Circle Kitchen.  She knew that she has enough knowledge about cooking and time to help, so decided to sign up that night.  

Linda has been volunteering with Food For Thought for a year and a half and enjoys her time cooking with the kids.  She said that "seeing the excitement in their eyes when they are able to create food that tastes delicious to them," is what she enjoys the most.  And she has noticed that it builds the kid's confidence when they see how easy it is to make some of the food dishes that are taught to them and hopes that it gives the kids energy to try and cook more outside of the FFT Full Circle Kitchen. "When I hear them tell their friends they can’t wait to come back next week, I know we’ve done something good that day," said Linda. 

Linda said that ever since she raised her hand at the fundraising event, she has been looking forward to every class that she has taught with the kids!

We are very grateful for you, Linda and all of our volunteers!

If you would like to sign up to volunteer, please contact us: volunteer@fftfl.org