Annual Report 2016-2017
TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 ... 4 ... 5 ... 7 ... 9 ... 10 ... 11 ... 12 ... 14 ... 17 ... 20 ... 22 ... 23 ... 25 ... 26 ... 31 ... 32 ... 33 ...
A Note from the Founder What We Stand For What We Do By the Numbers Service Map Food Facts Summer Holidays Volunteers Surveys Finances Memberships Corporate Sponsorships Local Partnerships Events Board Members Checking In Thoughts for the Future
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A Note from As our 6th year of service at Food For Thought Outreach comes to a close, we have as much growth in front of us as we do behind us. We have upheld our mission of ghting child hunger and welcomed more children and schools into our service, growing our outreach by over 70% this year. This report shares the incredible numbers which re ect increased percentages in enrollment, services, volunteer hours and food usage. It has indeed been a big year! What can be harder to demonstrate is the profound impact the scope of our services makes in our community. This year, we served 1,700 students per week in 27 locations across two counties. Our volunteer commitment is amazing. Every week,  150 volunteers woke up early or came in after a long day of work and gave their time to serve our mission. Our volunteers drive to 27 different locations every week of the school year. They showed up every week and packed bags, organized food, and pulled weeds in the garden. In all, they have dedicated over 5,000 hours to us in the school year alone! As we look forward to the new year, we will reach 85% of Walton County and 50% of Okaloosa County schools. It is now more uncommon to NOT have our services in your neighborhood than it is to have them. Sustainability, Strength, and Scalability remain the lens through which we plan for the future and make decisions day to day. With that we took on some major projects in the nal quarter of this year as we prepared for our upcoming school year. Our home base in Santa Rosa Beach is being remodeled to increase our pantry and warehouse capacity by 75%. With the support of generous donors, we secured another van and lovingly named her "Betty." These same donors helped us to install a lift gate on "Norma" and invest in an improved delivery system. Our Full Circle Kitchen is complete and ready for students to arrive in August and one more garden was added to the Full Circle Garden program.
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the Founder... We will continue to focus on our contribution to your community through sustainable programming and education. Our Full Circle Kitchen & Garden programs will mature over the next few years and offer a bounty of opportunity for the children they were built to serve. The increased capacity in our Santa Rosa location will allow for continued growth in enrollment. As the Founder of this organization, I am so proud to offer a place where so many people dedicate their time, talents and resources. It is a great honor to provide a place to teach young people the importance of giving back and helping their neighbors. I am happy we provide a place for so many other businesses, civic groups, clubs, churches and individuals to dedicate their service to our mission of ghting child hunger! With each dollar that is donated and hour of service that is provided, our roots in your community just grow deeper. And it is because of your commitment that we can show up every week for the children we serve. I am not sure what day of the week you will read this letter but the next Friday that comes to you, please think about the thousands food insecure children in your community,  sitting in their classroom chairs preparing to go to home with little to no access to food. Think of the impact that has on their bodies, minds, education, and spirit. Now, think about the thousands children who will be served by Food For Thought and the continued impact our services will have in their lives. We show up. We show up every week for every child and your support has made all the difference for the children we serve! Thank you for your dedication! With Gratitude, Tiffanie M Nelson
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WHAT WE STAND FOR Remove Negative Impacts :: Empower Students :: Access to Healthy Food
Food For Thought is a 501(c)(3) not-for-pro t organization based in Santa Rosa Beach and Destin, FL that provides backpacks lled with healthy, easy to prepare food for students who are dependent on free or reduced school meals in Walton and Okaloosa Counties. Our mission is to remove the negative impacts of hunger, empower a child to get the most out of their education and development, and provide students weekly access to healthy, easy to prepare meals.
To be "Food Insecure"
is to be unable to consistently access or afford adequate food.
More than 50 million people in the US live in households that are food insecure. A family sometimes runs out of money to buy food, or it sometimes runs out of food before it can get more money. A food insecure household may be faced with the dif cult choice of paying for basic necessities, such as health care and housing, or buying nutritionally adequate foods.
1 in 7 children
in Okaloosa and Walton counties live in food insecure homes.
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WHAT WE DO Backpacks :: Snacks :: Holiday :: Garden :: Kitchen
Food For Thought now has ve ways to provide hunger relief: 1. Weekly backpacks during the school year for students receiving free or reduced lunches to close the gap of missed meals over the weekend. 2. Monthly snacks provided to teachers in schools receiving Food For Thought services to ght immediate signs of hunger. 3. Holiday services to help feed families in need during long breaks from school, including summer. 4. Garden Initiatives at select schools and at the Destin Pantry. 5. Full Circle Kitchen, FFT's newest service, will help provide skills and additional sources of food to some of the most at-risk students in Okaloosa and Walton counties.
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FULL CIRCLE KITCHEN Thank you to all our sponsors, donors, and service providers.
Our Full Circle Kitchen sponsors and service providers donated $77,724 to build, stock, and set up this newest endeavor.
Culinary Partners will help teach classes to local students and will serve as guest chefs for fundraiser dinners and classes open to the public.
Food For Thought's rst private dinner prepared by Justin Gaffrey on the custom 24-person table he built for the Full Circle Kitchen.
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BY THE NUMBERS Students :: Schools :: Counties
Students Receiving Services
350 2013-2014
770 2014-2015
1,200 1,700 2015-2016 2016-2017
2,700 2017-2018 (Projected)
Schools Receiving Services 15
10
5
0 13-14
14-15
15-16
16-17
17-18*
*Projected Okaloosa
Walton
In the 2017-2018 school year, Food For Thought will be serving HALF of all schools in Okaloosa County (15 of 30), and ALL BUT TWO schools in Walton County (15 of 17).
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BY THE NUMBERS Students :: Schools :: Counties
OKALOOSA
WALTON
AMI Kids Bruner Middle School Destin Elementary Destin Middle School Edge Elementary Elliot Point Elementary Florosa Elementary Kenwood Elementary Northwest Florida Ballet Academy Okaloosa STEMM Academy
Bay Elementary Van R. Butler Elementary Emerald Coast Middle School Freeport High School Maude Saunders Elementary Mossy Head School Seacoast Collegiate High School Seaside Neighborhood School South Walton High School Walton Academy Walton High School Walton Middle School Wise Pre-K at Maude Saunders
TO BE ADDED 2017-2018 Six schools to be added: 5 in Okaloosa and 2 in Walton Lewis School Liza Jackson Preparatory School Longwood Elementary Mary Esther Elementary Pryor Middle School Walton In10sity School of Excellence (Magnet School opened Aug. 2017) West Defuniak Elementary
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FOOD FACTS Backpacks :: Snacks :: Fresh Food
61,200 backpacks x 10 food items in each bag = 612,000 food items distributed to students through the weekly backpack program this year.
612,000 fresh produce items distributed via backpacks this year.
28,611 fresh loaves of bread distributed via backpacks this year.
4,104 Snack Bags distributed to teachers and school nurses = 244,800 snacks distributed to students through the monthly snack bags this year.
57% of teachers (nationally) spend $300 each year buying food for students who come to school hungry. Our snack programs bene ts students, families, AND teachers.
Backpacks + Snacks + Holiday Services =
ONE MILLION food items distributed by Food For Thought each year. 10
SUMMER DISTRIBUTION Students miss an average of 110 meals over the summer.
1218 meals
distributed during June, July, and August. Summer meals include family-sized boxes of pasta and sauce, mac & cheese, cereal, fresh fruit, snack items, and oatmeal. We include easy-to-open food items like soup, tuna, chicken, vegetables, Chef Boyardee, and Hormel Completes.
+220
volunteer hours required
4 locations
across 2 counties to help with transportation issues.
“There’s a great energy at Food For Thought. Amazing things are happening and you feel it when you walk in the building. This partnership with Walmart and Food For Thought is exactly what Sam Walton would have wanted.” - Tyson Hall, Walmart Santa Rosa Beach Store Manager Walmart Foundation’s State Giving Program granted FFT $50,000 this year.
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HOLIDAY SERVICES Thanksgiving Break :: Winter Break :: Holiday Giving
Hunger doesn't take a break and neither does Food For Thought. We continue to provide food during Spring Break, Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break, and Summer Break. Students miss between 10 and 20 meals during Thanksgiving and Winter Break.
550
500
$13,900
550 Turkeys + 500 Hams + Additional Food = 20,000 Holiday Meals $13,900 donated for Holiday Giving programs.
For the third year in a row, Seaside Associated Stores donated toys and books for
150 kids
Beachy Beach Real Estate donated gifts for another
250 kids
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Food For Thought Ornaments Gifts from Seaside Associated Stores
Volunteers Packing Team Wells Fargo
Hygiene kits from the Tree House Montessori School
Bags donated by Winn Dixie 13
VOLUNTEERS Groups :: Individuals :: Hours
30A Cottages and Concierge Beachside Community Church Beachy Beach Real Estate Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Emerald Coast Boys and Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Chick- l-A South Walton Christ the King Episcopal Church Corvais Destin United Methodist Church Destiny Worship Center Emerald Coast Association of Realtors First NBC Bank Five Star Gulf Properties Good News United Methodist Church Gulf Power GulfSouth Soccer Club Home2 Suites Howard Hospitality Hurlburt Field Junior League of the Emerald Coast Live Well 30A Militia Fitness Nathan Abbott Realty Group
Novartis NWFL Progressives Ohana Institute Point Washington United Methodist Church ResortQuest by Wyndham Vacation Rentals Sand Dunes Strength and Conditioning Sandestin Foundation for Kids Seaside Associated Stores Seaside Neighborhood School Seventh Day Adventists - SE Conference Attendees Shoreline Community Church SmartBank Somerby of Santa Rosa Beach St. Joe Club & Resorts St. Peter Roman Catholic Parish Starbucks Sysco The Tree House Episcopal Montessori School Thrivent Financial Warren Averett Watersound Lunch Group Wells Fargo Willow Boutiques
150% increase
in number of volunteer groups since last year. 14
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VOLUNTEERS Groups :: Individuals :: Hours
Food For Thought runs on the sel essness and generosity of our dedicated volunteers. Without them, without YOU, we could not continue our outreach into the community. Volunteer Hours 4500
350
2200
3000 220
Backpacks (43.82%)
Holiday (3.41%)
Summer (2.14%)
Events (29.21%)
Other (21.42%)
420
individual volunteers and 50 volunteer groups gave their time to help provide all our services this year.
50 more
volunteers per month needed to support expansion in the upcoming school year. 16
SURVEYS Volunteers :: Teachers :: Feedback
"Food for Thought has given me the opportunity to teach my own children about giving back and taking care of the people in their community. It's so important to me to be a part of an organization that has the ability to help stop the cycle of poverty in our community and make a difference for the future in these children's lives."
Bene ts of Volunteering:
Increases con dence
Strengthens community
All ages welcome
Connect with others
Positive health outcomes
Variety of time commitments available
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SURVEYS Volunteers :: Teachers :: Feedback
How has our program positively impacted your students? "Our students know that they will have something to eat for a few days once they receive the food bags." "FFT provides over 300 backpacks of food [to our school] each week, so it has de nitely had an impact on nearly half of our school population. The children look forward to receiving their backpacks each Friday."
Students that have consistent access to nutritious meals:
Miss less school
Have fewer sick days
Do better in math
More likely to graduate
"A huge "thank you" to the organization. You put a tremendous amount of effort into making it work as smoothly as it does. And you help so many people - our students, as well as their parents. I truly thank you." - Teacher Feedback
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FINANCES Budget :: Funds :: Donations
Annual Program Budget
Income $838,715
$350,343
Dollar Value
$468,814 $615,901 $801,618 $1,080,000
0
550000 2013
2014
2015-16*
1100000 2016-17
Expenses $801,618
2017-18**
*Shifted Fiscal Year from Jan-Dec to Aug-July to better align with the school year needs **Projected Budget
$131,414 of In Kind services & materials donated.
Assets total over $774,224
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PURCHASING POWER Wholesale :: Bulk :: Growth
Food Funding Of all the food distributed, less than 28% comes from donated food items. FFT spent $314,000 this past year purchasing food from our Food Partners.
$116,344
Food For Thought's purchasing system allows each dollar to work more ef ciently and effectively than ever.
$313,780
Purchased (72.95%)
FFT is ordering more of each item than any grocery store in the area currently orders. So, FFT is ordering more jars of peanut butter, more packets of oatmeal, more fruit cups, etc. than Publix, Walmart, and other grocery stores in our community.
Donated (27.05%)
101,179 food items donated at a value of $116,344 Increase in monetary donations versus food item donations as our supporters understand that Food For Thought's buying power is stronger than individual purchases.
$0.33
average price per item with Food For Thought purchasing power versus $0.87 average price spent on donated items.
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MEMBERSHIPS Monthly :: Annual
The Membership Program was created last year to encourage year-round donations which helps maintain incoming funds during historically slower times and continues to build a community of volunteers and friends of Food For Thought. By Aug. 2016, FFT had 60 members. This Aug (2017), FFT has 106 members and provides $13,000 in annual program funding.
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CORPORATEÂ SPONSORSHIPS Corporate Sponsorships help Food For Thought reach fundraising goals more ef ciently and helps to fund and promote FFT signature events by building a community network with an ever greater reach. Corporate Sponsors have grown from 8 to 14 which is a 75% increase from last year. As the organization changes, so will our Corporate Sponsorships as we transition into new events with new opportunities.
Food For Thought has been fortunate to have long-standing Corporate Partnerships with many local businesses, rst of which was Beachy Beach 30A. "It wasn't enough for me to just give personally, I needed to make my business part of the mission to give back into my community and help stop the cycle of poverty. How can I be part of a successful company and not help those who can't help themselves in this community. Food for Thought has given me the ability to personally and professionally give back and show my children and my coworkers what success should really be about." - Hilary Farnum, Beachy Beach 30A Corporate Sponsor and Volunteer 23
CORPORATE SPONSORS Dr. Mose Hayes
GRANT &Â FOUNDATION SPONSORS Dugas Family Foundation
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LOCAL PARTNERS Allison Wickey Beachy Clean Car Wash Brotula's Seafood House & Steamer Corvias Courtyard Marriott at Grand Boulevard Cuvée Kitchen + Wine Bar Five Star Gulf Properties Jackacuda’s Seafood & Sushi Junior League of Emerald Coast Justin Gaffrey Live Well 30A Mellow Mushroom Newman-Dailey Resort Properties Ohana Institute Pizza by the Sea Residence Inn at Grand Boulevard ResortQuest by Wyndham Vacation Rentals Sandestin Foundation Rentals Seaside Associated Stores SoWal St. Joe Club and Resorts Taylor Allen Properties Townsend Catering Wells Fargo
FOOD & SERVICE PROVIDERS Cheney Brothers, Inc. Flowers Baking Co. Grocery Outlet Niceville Mellow Mushroom Destin Sam's Club Ft. Walton Beach Townsend Catering Company Walmart Supercenter in Santa Rosa Beach 25
SIGNATURE EVENTS Stock the Pantry :: Art of Giving :: Golf Tournament :: Pantry Renovation
Over 300 guests along with 32 generous community sponsors were able to raise $10,000 and donate over 56,000 food items to help ght child hunger! Guests not only donated to FFT, but donated items for Louisiana Flood Relief. Ohana Institute took home the top honors for the third consecutive year by donating over 14,244 food items. Sandestin Real Estate partnered with Sandestin Foundation for Kids and came in a close second with 11,536 items. And Newman-Dailey Resort Properties took third with 5,055 items. The Mellow Mushroom Bake Bus was a huge hit with the guests and will be returning in 2017! The 4th Annual Art of Giving: Kids Art Edition presented by Porath & Associates raised $23,000 this year. This year featured collaborative and individual pieces from four local schools and their students - Ohana Institute, Seaside Neighborhood School, Noah’s Ark Preschool, and the Northwest Florida Ballet Academy. Each school was partnered with an Artist Partner and each artist donated a piece for the event as well. This year's theme of kids giving back to kids was a great community builder and next year's 5th annual event will be the last of our Art of Giving series and will feature all of our previously featured artists. 26
SIGNATURE EVENTS Stock the Pantry :: Art of Giving :: Golf Tournament :: Pantry Renovation
Local golfers gathered together for a day of golf while giving back to their communities! The 6th Annual Food For Thought Outreach Charity Golf Tournament presented by 30A Cottages & Concierge teed off on April 6th and nearly 100 golfers supported the cause. Held at Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club for the fourth consecutive year, it was a record breaking year for FFT at $14,900 raised. These funds helped to provide over 16,800 meals plus healthy snacks for kids in need across Okaloosa and Walton Counties. With the tremendous growth FFT has experienced in the past two years, space is at a premium for food storage, volunteer packing and general operations. Our rst step in meeting this need is the renovation of our current pantry/warehouse space in Santa Rosa Beach. We have been working with Archiscapes, LLC on the plans and Ryan Harp Construction on the build. Taking down the walls on this side of the building will create an open, temperature controlled space with 75% more storage capacity and a reduction in of ce space. Renovation will be completed early in the 2017-2018 school year.
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BENEFITING EVENTS Eggs on the Beach :: Destin Charity Wine Auction :: Chi Chi Miguel
The 12th Annual Destin Charity Wine Auction raised $2.76 million dollars for children in need in Northwest Florida. In 2016, Food For Thought was awarded $175,000. FFT received their largest check of $240,000 at the 2017 Presentation bringing the ve year total to $680,000.
1 of 15 local charities The 11th Annual Chi Chi Miguel Weekend presented by the Emeril Lagasse Foundation raised over $900,000 for Gulf Coast charities and donated $31,000 to FFT. The Throwdown Bene t Auction & BBQ has expanded to a three-day event and one of the most successful fundraisers along the Emerald Coast.
1 of 9 local charities Eggs on the Beach EggFest is an outdoor cooking competition where cook teams demonstrate the delicious results of cooking on the Big Green Egg by smoking and grilling their favorite dishes while tasters vote for their favorites.
1 of 2 local charities
The event raised $28,500 and $12,000 was donated to FFT. Our Cook Team even won the Honorable Judges' Award. 28
SPECIAL EVENTS Monday at The Bistro* - Courtyard Sandestin Food Drive* - Seaside Farmers Market Food Drop* - Whole Foods Destin Shop & Support a Cause - Vineyard Vines Grand Boulevard glassybaby Road Show - Williams Sonoma Grocers Give - Georgia Food Industry Association Smoke on the Coast - Destin Commons Cinco de Craw sh - Rotary Club of Destin 3rd Annual Spring Fling Wing Ding - NatureWalk at Seagrove Trivia End of Season Party - Mellow Mushroom Destin Business After Hours - Destin Chamber of Commerce The Great Peanut Butter Drive - KC's Sandbar/103.1 The Blaze Bingo - Grayton Beer Company Grand Opening - The Seaside Style Share the Love Party - 30A Kids Club Mardi Gras Pub Crawl - HarborWalk Village Raf e - Stubbs Ortho Holiday Meal Packages - The Hub Donation Drive - Walmart Santa Rosa Beach 2nd Annual Holiday Harbor Hop - Boshamps/Brotula's/AJ's Breakfast with Santa - Courtyard Sandestin Holiday Market - Grayton Beer Company Small Business Saturday - Sundog Books Alys in Winter Wonderland - Alys Beach Blues, Brews & BBQ - HarborWalk Village/Jackacuda's Family Night - Chick- l-A South Walton Food Drive - Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Emerald Coast Be Rich Food Drive - Beachside Community Church Roller Derby Food Drive - Beach Brawl Sk8r Dolls Spooktacular Party - Menchie's Grand Boulevard Trunk Show - The Salty Sparrow Destin Branch Grand Opening - First NBC Bank Charity Golf Tournament - LGA Burnt Pine Golf Club Half Price Pizza - Pizza by the Sea Peculiar Party - Sundog Books Coins for a Cause - Destin Commons Evening of Giving Back - Pizza Bar You Give, We Give (in support of STP) - Chiringo International Friendship Day Sip & Shop - Pandora *Recurring Events 29
2017 Patron Dinner at the home of Jack & Candis Wilson. This dinner went on to raise the most money of all 15 dinners during the 12th Annual Destin Charity Wine Auction Weekend!
Fun and games with the teams at the 4th Annual Food For Thought Charity Golf Tournament. A crowd favorite every year!
Beautiful works of art from local students featured in the 4th Annual Art of Giving: Kids Art Edition!
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BOARD MEMBERS Board of Directors
Tiffanie Nelson, Founder and Executive Director Hilary Farnum, Vice President Charlie Barker, Treasurer Penny Jackson, Secretary Ashley Curtin Jacob Watkins Tania Koehler
Advisory Board Robin Keith Marna Bye Leah Hayes Jennifer Knaepple
“I just can't imagine on a regular basis going to sleep hungry. Then waking up hungry. How does a child pay attention in school if they have real gut wrenching hunger pains? How does a child have any HOPE ...if they don't have the very basic need of life...suf cient food? The kitchen is the next logical step. Teaching children about nutrition and food preparation will help change their lives. Help give them HOPE.” - Jim Pierce, Food For Thought Outreach supporter, donor, and Full Circle Kitchen sponsor
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CHECKING IN Goals Set for 2016 - Expanding Our Services & Expanding Our Reach 1. We will complete construction and open our new culinary program. 2. We will further develop our garden program currently based in Destin 3. We will add Maude Sanders Elementary School and Walton High School. 4. Increase our volunteer base in these new service areas. 5. Introduce an internship program at Food For Thought  starting Fall 2016. 6. Develop our next level growth strategy for the following 3 years.
Outcomes of 2016 - 2017 1. The Full Circle Kitchen opened successfully in 2017 and classes begin in August of 2017. 2. The JLEC replanted our Destin Pantry Garden to expand our planting and provided us a 12-month planting guide. The Corvias Foundation planted our second garden location on the Walton Academy campus. 3. Successfully added Maude Sanders Elementary School where we serve over 300 students in one location. As well as Walton High School, Mossy Head School, and the Okaloosa County STEMM Academy 4. We have been able to increase our volunteer base, but more volunteers are needed to support our growth in North Walton 5. While we did introduce a Fall Internship, in the spirit of sustaining and strengthening our services the staff structure was adjusted to meet the needs of the organization 6. As part of our growth strategy, we are looking toward sustainable fundraising within our Full Circle Kitchen and exploring a centralized warehouse to support our increased food shipments and rural program development.
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THOUGHTS FOR THE FUTURE In the year ahead, Food For Thought plans to: 1. Add 6 New Schools across Okaloosa and Walton counties. 2. Successfully create, manage, and evaluate a new series of Full Circle Kitchen classes. Initially starting with two schools and reaching ten at-risk students per week. 3. Introduce new fundraising events within the Full Circle Kitchen replacing the Art of Giving as well as creating new events and fundraising avenues. 4. Improve our program logistics to meet immediate and future needs within the organization and throughout our services. 5. Continue to build staff development and education to support program and development objectives. 6. Incorporate produce from the Full Circle Gardens throughout the year as part of Food For Thought services and as ingredients in the Full Circle Kitchen.
Find us here
850.290.4056
Mailing: 174 Watercolor Way STE 103 #286 Santa Rosa Beach, FL
info@fft .org
@FoodForThought Outreach 33
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