Meet the Founder of Food For Thought Outreach, Tiffanie Nelson. Food For Thought began in 2010 after Tiffanie learned that students in her own children's school were hungry and missing meals when they were away from school-provided meals. What began as a project that Tiffanie and her children did at home, helping 6 kids per week, grew into the organization that is Food For Thought Outreach, and Tiffanie began working full-time at FFT in 2014 as the Executive Director. Currently, she lives in Santa Rosa Beach with her 3 children and husband, Darren Nelson. Tiffanie is dedicated to the growth and sustainability of the programs at FFT to ensure our organization is here to support children in need for years to come. When she is not working, she is usually outside enjoying time with her family as much as possible.

Meet our Operations Manager, Erin Perry! Erin started at Food For Thought in May 2017 after working for 10 years as a Project and Localization Manager in the translation industry. In her previous career, she was responsible for coordinating and overseeing projects such as the translation of websites into over 30 languages for international companies. Erin's family has lived in the area for over 15 years, so she's lived here off and on, but has spent most of that time living in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Paris. Erin's time in Paris allowed her to practice her French and to satisfy her serious case of wanderlust, as she was able to travel to many countries throughout Europe and beyond! As the Operations Manager, Erin has been able to employ her project management skills, and she's also really enjoying the hands-on aspect of the position delivering backpacks to schools and working in the pantry. She even brought home a piece of the pantry with her, when a kitten, now named Ragu, wandered into the pantry during Christmas services.

As the organization grows, so must our team. Food For Thought Outreach is now interviewing for a Full Time (40+), Hourly, Program Coordinator. Qualified candidates should submit their resumes to tiffanie@fftfl.org. 

ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW:

Food For Thought is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization based in Santa Rosa Beach, FL that provides backpacks filled with healthy, easy to prepare food for students who are dependent on free or reduced school meals. Our goal is to support a child’s development and educational experience by bridging the gap between school meals during weekends and holiday breaks.  Food For Thought has been working to fight child hunger since 2010, and currently serves 31 schools in Walton and Okaloosa Counties, providing backpacks for 2886 students each week. 

POSITION OVERVIEW:

The Program and Volunteer Coordinator works closely with the Program Manager to ensure the needs of the Organization’s programs are met and executed within the Mission and Values of Food for Thought Outreach. This position assists the Organization with proper placement and scheduling of volunteers, as well as ensuring supplies and food are on hand to execute the Organization’s programs.

As a team member of Food For Thought Outreach, we work together to fight childhood hunger in our community. Our Mission comes before all other tasks and duties. Team members are advocates and representatives of our work and hold a shared passion for the Mission and Values of our Organization. Growth is to be expected and welcomed in this work and will bring an ever-changing landscape for the team. As a member of a small team, we are all expected to share in the work from the day-to-day tasks to high-level strategy. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Orders food as directed
• Works with vendors to coordinate all on-site deliveries
• Assists with scheduling volunteers for appropriate activities
• Produces and distributes all materials in support of the Organization’s programs
• Operates as an on-site volunteer support system and assists with oversight of the volunteer’s duties
• Represents the Organization at partner schools and organizations
• Supports all program functions during days of service
• Works with Program Manager as well as other Organization staff to ensure tasks are completed
• Contributes to team effort by accomplishing related tasks as needed

SCHEDULE AND AVAILABILITY:

Employees may be required to attend events and/or be available to work days, nights, weekends and holidays to meet the needs of the Organization.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

Excellent written and oral communication skills and the ability to make quick and accurate decisions are essential. Positive and outgoing personality is a must. Must have a strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and social media networks.

Conditions of Work:

While performing the duties of this position, the employee may be exposed to the elements including wet and/or humid conditions, extreme heat, and rain. This position requires travel within the service areas of the organization and requires the employee the regularly drive a company vehicle. Employees are frequently required to use climb, sit, reach, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. Employees must regularly lift and/or move up to 40 pounds.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This Job Description represents an overview of the responsibilities for the above referenced position. It is not intended to represent a comprehensive list of responsibilities. An employee should perform all duties as assigned by management.

Meet one of our Program Coordinators, Nicole Lande! Nicole joined the  Food For Thought team in August 2017. She grew up in Colorado and traded snow in for the beach when she moved to Destin in middle school. She attended Niceville High School, and graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2017 with a degree in Event Management. Nicole’s favorite part of the week is cooking with the kids from AMI and Walton Academy in the Emeril Lagasse Full Circle Kitchen. She’s also an avid reader, so on Sundays you can usually find her at her book club with her mom. Nicole never fails to make you laugh or smile, so if you see a someone doing a goofy dance in the pantry, that’s likely her!

Meet Ginger Weathers, one of our Program Coordinators at Food For Thought. Ginger started with us in May 2017 after meeting Tiffanie during an internship at Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation. Ginger was born and raised in Fort Walton Beach, and is an alumnus of Fort Walton Beach High School. She left home for 2.5 years to live in Stillwater, Oklahoma with her grandparents while finishing her degree. She graduated in 2016 with a Business Management degree from Oklahoma State University. On Tuesday nights, you can find Ginger at Props in FWB for Geeks Who Drink, which is a trivia contest. Ginger is a compassionate soul and has been an excellent addition to the team.