Partners
FIGHTING HUNGER
in our community
by E M M E M A R T I N
Dedicated to fighting child hunger since 2010, Food For Thought Outreach (FFT) is a not-for-profit organization serving children in grades K–12 in Northwest Florida’s Walton and Okaloosa Counties.
F
ounded by Tiffanie Nelson in 2010, FFT supports children from over thirty-two schools by bridging the gap between school meals during weekends and breaks. FFT also offers learning and life-skill resources through the Emeril Lagasse Full Circle Kitchen and their Full Circle Gardens. Many children in our community only have access to school meals during the week, so FFT plays a vital role in ensuring these children can eat when they go home for the weekend. Hunger affects a child’s ability to concentrate and perform complex tasks in and out of the classroom. Research also indicates that hunger can cause behavioral problems such as hyperactivity, anxiety, and aggression. These are all reasons that the VIE Beach House – A Show Home team is ecstatic to donate a portion of the profit from the home’s sale to this local organization. Nelson’s desire to empower the underserved in our community drives her mission to take the stress of wondering where the next meal will come from off children, allowing them to focus on their education and become productive members of the community. The organization has been providing meals to foodinsecure children through their in-school backpack program for years. The backpacks, containing healthy and easy-to-prepare meals, are the most effective way to fight child hunger in our community; children are provided with critical items in a discreet manner, so they don’t have to worry about feeling judged. 90 | A P R IL 2 021
This page and opposite: Food For Thought has provided easy-to-make meals to food-insecure children in Walton and Okaloosa Counties for ten years. Photos courtesy of Food For Thought
When asked about her connection to the organization, show home developer and owner of Q Tile + Design Studio Suzy Accola says, “We have worked with Food For Thought and watched them grow in this area over the ten years we have lived in Santa Rosa Beach. Between our three kids, they’ve attended Bay Elementary, Seaside Middle School, Emerald Coast Middle School, Seacoast Collegiate High School, South Walton High School, and Ohana Institute. There is such a need in our area and beyond for kids to receive nutritious foods that feed their brains and bodies. Food For Thought provides kids the ability to receive these meals anonymously in backpacks from their schools.”
“We cannot think of a more worthy or deserving cause to support during these difficult times,” says VIE founder/CEO Lisa Burwell. “Children are the future of our community, and they deserve the very best chance for health, happiness, and success in their lives. Thank you, Food For Thought, for everything you do to help them and their families throughout the year!” With the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, FFT changed operations to a modified plan that involves curbside pickups in five locations every week. The curbside program has served five hundred to six hundred families, each with a bag of over thirty food
