Food For Thought Outreach Receives $58,398 Grant from The St. Joe Community Foundation’s “Read to Feed” Program

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (May 13, 2025) – Food For Thought Outreach, a local 501(c)3 organization that works to bridge the meal gap in the lives of food insecure children in Walton and Okaloosa counties, is pleased to announce they have received a $58,398 grant from The St. Joe Community Foundation’s “Read to Feed” program.

The Foundation’s Read to Feed initiative grants $0.25 to Food For Thought Outreach for each Accelerated Reader (“AR”) test with a score of 80% and above completed by Walton County School District elementary students. In the 2024-2025 school year, Walton County elementary students successfully scored above 80% on 233,592 AR tests to set $58,398 as the Foundation’s contribution to Food For Thought Outreach. This surpassed the 2023-2024 school year of 220,445 AR tests which provided $55,111.50 to the organization. Since program inception in the 2022-2023 school year, the Read to Feed initiative has raised over $167,000 to support the mission of Food For Thought Outreach. 

“This is just epic,” said Cathy Hall, coordinator of instructional support/ESOL for Walton County School District. “Last year at the school board meeting, we were challenged to beat our Read to Feed 2024 total of $55,111.50 which was an amazing accomplishment, and we did it by raising $3,286.50 additional dollars for a total of $58,398 for Read to Feed. We are so proud of our students who achieved 233,592 total AR points!”

“The St. Joe Community Foundation is proud to continue this collaboration with the Walton County School District and Food For Thought Outreach to support the Read to Feed Program,” said April Wilkes, executive director of St. Joe Community Foundation. “Not only does it provide an incentive and encouragement for youth to enhance their literacy skills, but it also gives them a glimpse of what it means to serve others through Food For Thought Outreach’s mission.”

The funds raised through the Read to Feed program will be used to further Food For Thought Outreach’s goal to bridge the meal gap and empower students to get the most out of their education. Currently, over 3,600 children are enrolled in their year-round programs and all funds raised from the program will go towards those programs and help even more kids throughout the year.

“We are so happy to see how this initiative continues to drive reading results across the Walton County School District,” said Tiffanie Nelson, founder and CEO of Food For Thought Outreach. “Our mission at Food For Thought Outreach is to remove the negative impacts of hunger and empower children to get the most out of their education. Read to Feed is the perfect embodiment of our mission. During the 2024-25 school year, Food For Thought Outreach provided weekly services to over 3,600 food-insecure children in Walton and Okaloosa Counties. Grant funds like these from the St. Joe Community Foundation provide critical funding for our programs.”

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About The St. Joe Community Foundation:

The St Joe Community Foundation’s mission is to enrich the quality of life of the people who live, work, andplay in Northwest Florida. Created in 1999, the Foundation provides grants to other 501(C)(3) entities for the areas of education, environmental stewardship, building healthier communities, and programs that honor the cultural arts. The Foundation is funded exclusively by a transfer fee on the sale of real estate in certain communities and resorts The St. Joe Company develops. This fee applies the first time a property is sold, andon each resale. The Foundation is a separate entity from The St. Joe Company and has a separate Board of Directors. www.JoeFoundation.com

About Food For Thought Outreach, Inc.:

Established in 2010, Food For Thought Outreach started as a small family project to serve food insecure students in one school for one year. With a $300 budget, Founder Tiffanie Nelson partnered with her son’s school to begin providing critical access to food to children in need. Over the past thirteen years, Food For Thought Outreach has grown into the go-to organization for fighting childhood hunger in Walton and Okaloosa Counties. The organization has grown to meet the ever-changing needs of the community and currently provides weekly access to food to 3,600 food insecure school aged children across 36 school locations and two counties.

Two Options for Summer Seasonal Employment at Food For Thought 

View Full Job Descriptions and Application Information 

Part-Time Culinary Instructor: https://shorturl.at/wuspl

Part-Time Summer Program: https://shorturl.at/s9OMQ

Summer Volunteer Opportunities 

High School & College Volunteers can attend one of three information sessions in May to learn how they can help, fill out their volunteer paperwork and get on the schedule for the summer. Ages 16+ 

Additional Information:

https://fftfl.org/pages/summer-volunteer-opportunites-students-16

Volunteers ages 21+ can attend one of three information sessions in May to learn how they can help, fill out their volunteer paperwork and get on the schedule for the summer. 

Additional Information: 

https://fftfl.org/pages/summer-volunteer-opportunities-volunteers-ages-21

3rd Annual Bourbon & BBQ on the Bayou 

Benefitting Food For Thought Outreach 

On Saturday, March 29th, over 100 guests gathered at the waterfront home of Carli and Jack Harman to celebrate the 3rd Annual Bourbon & BBQ on the Bayou. The Harmans are longtime supporters of Food For Thought Outreach and host this event to raise awareness and support for their programs, which assist food-insecure children in Walton and Okaloosa Counties

This year, our goal was to raise funds to help the organization purchase a new van for food deliveries. Over the past year and a half, we had to retire three of our vans, which significantly reduced our delivery capacity. By the end of the evening, we had raised over $60,000, allowing the organization to secure not just one, but two new vans!

Additional funds were raised through a silent auction, a bourbon ring toss, and direct giving. Overall, the evening raised more than $83,000 for Food For Thought Outreach.

Guests enjoyed delicious food prepared by the talented team at Marrow Private Chefs, while bourbon was generously donated by Fly High Spirits. Tipsy Mule created craft cocktails, and Ace’s Band got guests on the dance floor, providing a lively end to an incredible event.

Billabong Destin Launch Event, Supporting Food For Thought Outreach.

Billabong at Grand Boulevard to Host Launch Party Celebrating New Local Ownership 

MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. (March 28, 2025) – Billabong, located in Grand Boulevard at Sandestin®, will host a Local Launch party on Saturday, April 12 from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. in honor of their new look and new ownership. 

 Billabong has been in Grand Boulevard since 2008, and new owner, Tony Crisafi, is looking to the future, reinvigorating the location and reimagining it in a way that brings new energy and new clientele to the area.  

“We saw the potential to create a destination that speaks to both locals and visitors, offering high-quality products, a strong sense of community, and an atmosphere that feels both aspirational and approachable,” emphasized Crisafi.

Crisafi has a long history in the retail industry. After serving in the Air Force, Crisafi started his own jewelry business, Destin Jewelry, in 2012 followed by two additional brands, Harbor Shell and Aloha Surf Company located in HarborWalk Village. Each offers unique products and brands that can’t be found in other stores in the area. Crisafi’s passion for creating unique shopping experiences that bring community and culture together led to his acquisition of the Billabong store at Grand Boulevard.

“Throughout the years we’ve developed a keen eye for selecting high-quality, trend-forward brands that resonate with customers,” said Crisafi. “This store represents a natural evolution—melding our experience with a fresh, modern take on the surf lifestyle.”

Billabong at Grand Boulevard carries a curated selection of brands reflecting an authentic coastal lifestyle, blending surf culture with elevated fashion and function. Their lineup of brands includes Beach Riot, Costa, Distant Local, Havaianas, I-Sea, Maaji, Maui Jim, MINKPINK, O'Neill, Qualified Captain, Pura Vida, Rainbow Sandals, Reef, Rhythm, Rip Curl, Roark, Roxy, Rusty, RVCA, Seager, Sun Bum, Tiare Hawaii, and Vuori. They also carry local brand, Salty Scents, in store. 

Under Crisafi’s ownership, customers can expect an elevated shopping experience that blends the relaxed energy of surf culture with a more refined aesthetic. The Grand Boulevard location will also bring up to 12 jobs to the local community.

From 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., guests are invited to the store for the Local Launch Party featuring light bites from Black Bear Bread Company, Cantina Laredo, and Kilwins. There will be sips of wine from Vin’tij Food + Wine for shoppers to enjoy while perusing the latest Spring arrivals. Beats by DJ TK will also keep the party going all day long

For a $20 donation, guests will have the opportunity throughout the day to enter to win a Grand Prize Raffle including a Billabong shopping spree, surf board, Krewe sunglasses, Stallworth gift card, Kendra Scott necklace, tickets to South Walton Beach Wine & Food Festival, gift card to La Luna Children’s Boutique, and much more valued at over $2,500. All proceeds raised will benefit Food for Thought Outreach, a local 501(c)3 organization that works to bridge the meal gap in the lives of food insecure children in Walton and Okaloosa counties and empower them to get the most out of their education. Currently, over 3,600 children are enrolled in their year-round programs and all funds raised from the event will go towards those programs and help even more kids throughout the year. The winner will be chosen at random on Billabong’s Instagram page on Monday, April 1To commemorate the store’s new ownership, Billabong will also host an official ribbon cutting ceremony with the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, April 10 at 4 p.m. The community is invited to attend the celebration.