Pensacola Dinner on the Grounds fundraiser confronts food insecurity

Evening meal on the Grounds is a concept that goes back to the 1930s in which communities come jointly to have a huge potluck dinner, generally right after a church assistance or revival.
Now the identical principle is being made use of to carry the neighborhood alongside one another to deal with food items and nourishment insecurity in Pensacola with a fundraising party referred to as Meal on the Grounds from 6 to 11 p.m. Thursday at 5eleven Palafox.
The thought originated from Peter and Katrina Mougey, who witnessing the racial reckoning going on in the country during the summer of 2020 and felt they required to get concerned. They wanted to make a meaningful impactful on an problem in Pensacola and after they did their investigation, they identified out about food insecurity, specially amongst small children.

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In Escambia County, 75% of youngsters qualify for no cost or reduced lunch, and 62% of Escambia County people are living in food deserts, which are neighborhoods with little or no access to economical or healthy foodstuff.
“There’s two Publix in in all probability a two-minute drive of my household in East Hill,” stated Peter Mougey, an lawyer at the Levin Papantonio Rafferty Regulation Agency. “But you go down the road 15 minutes and you can find not a grocery keep inside 20 minutes by Baptist, which are predominantly African American neighborhoods.”
The Mougeys, the American Heart Association and other neighborhood leaders teamed up last calendar year to co-identified Heart of Pensacola to tackle wellness and nourishment regionally. They provide 500 kids weekly with book luggage that contains nutritious snacks and foods.
They also provide Baptist Healthcare facility, Health & Hope Clinic, Neighborhood Health Northwest Florida and the Studer Local community Institute with containers of fresh new develop, fruit, greens and full grains, which are picked up by Manna Food Pantries and dispersed to families.
Considering the fact that September 2021, more than 800 packing containers and 6,000 backpacks have been distributed in the community.
For the Mougeys, the fundraiser will support deliver recognition to the wellness and nutrition insecurities within the Pensacola community. It will also support make a imagine tank to deliver people today together to determine out how to tackle the trouble.
Hopefully, their product of assisting fight food insecurity can be replicated by other individuals to deal with similar problems of meals insecurity in the town, state and even the area, Mougey explained.
“It’s really hard to eat healthy when you can not find the money for it,” Mougey said. “So this isn’t a a single-cease location, we have to get superior work opportunities for people today, obtain to excellent having to pay positions, not minimal wage, we have to aid educate persons and we’ve received to give access and we can do the job on all those people with each other and all these parts come like a 3-legged barstool.”
Dinner on the Grounds is this year’s variation of the Heart Ball. The strolling supper occasion will showcase food from a wide variety of local chefs established to the score of a live band, Mr. Major and The Rhythm Sisters. The event will also feature a dwell auction and a Heart Market stocked with merchandise from local sellers.
For additional facts about the fundraiser and to register as a sponsor, obtain tickets or volunteer, pay a visit to the website for the Northwest Florida Heart Ball.