About Navarre Community Outreach

A report from Feeding America determined that the percentage of food insecure children in Santa Rosa County for 2022 was 13.4%–a nearly 5% increase from the previous year. While the health impacts of hunger are obvious, food insecurity can also impact academic performance and normal mental and physical development. This is a critical need in this community.

According to the “Map the Food Gap” report from Feeding America, food insecure households report needing an additional 5.3 meals a week or in other words, food for 2 days of the week. Nearly 40% of these households are ineligible for assistance programs like SNAP.

The Weekend Food Program of Navarre Community Outreach was created to bridge this gap. During the school year, the program provides weekend meals for students in 7 Navarre area schools. Armed with a team of dedicated volunteers and generous community donors, we have had the opportunity to provide meals to thousands of food insecure students. We invite you to join us in meeting this need in our community—we urge you to consider donating your time or money to help us keep this program going.

We all have been there. You had an early lunch and as the afternoon drags on, the hanger sets in. As an expansion of the Weekend Food Program, the Snack Assistance program helps students get through the school day by providing snacks as needed to Navarre area schools. This program gives students the boost of energy needed to power through the school day to focus on their lessons and not on their stomachs.   Schools are provided with 8-10 boxes of prepackaged snacks to use at their discretion.

Routine hygiene is an important part of our physical and mental health and a critical skill in adulthood. Failure to implement good hygiene habits can have significant negative impacts later in life. This program provides students with the supplies needed to help ensure proper hygiene. Twice a year students are provided with shampoo, soap, deodorant, floss, toothpaste and toothbrushes to keep them on the right track and help build lifelong hygiene habits.