
"Sometimes, in spite of our own ambitions, God shows us wonderful mercies and opportunities we never even dreamed of."
At the Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Dinner on February 22nd, Bobbie Brigman, co-founder of
Food4Kidz and
Beachy Beach Real Estate Agent, happily and gratefully accepted the award for Humanitarian of the Year on behalf of Food4Kidz. Food4Kidz is a non-profit organization that aids local children living in food-insecure homes.
After accepting the award, Bobbie said, "Eternal gratitude to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Karen Smith, and all our amazing community partners, our passionately dedicated volunteers, our beautiful Bay County community, and the PCB Chamber! To the "one-in-four" hungry children in our area, this award belongs to you!"
Their story begins in 2010. Due to the oil spill, Bobbie and Ric Brigman's "mom-and-pop" restaurant was shut down after one year thus ending their long-time dream. Soon after, they discovered that 25% of children in our community are going hungry. This fact was simply unacceptable to them so they used the settlement received from BP, and Food4Kidz emerged! Out of the ashes of a broken dream, a better one was born.
1-in-4 of the approximate 28,000 Bay District School students live in a "food insecure" household. That means that on any given day, there is little-to-nothing for them to eat. This number does not include children ages infant to 4-years-old.
Food4Kidz is determined to change this.
Malnourished children have a larger number of hospital visits, a greater chance of developing life-threatening illnesses, more difficulty concentrating and learning and school, and are generally at risk for failure in general.
With proper nutrition, children have a great chance to thrive academically, socially, and economically.
Food4Kidz helps families with children who struggle with food insecurity once a month. Each family receives 125-150 pounds of food and supplies at a time depending on availability. Food4Kidz is the only organization of its kind in Bay County and is open year-round.
Food4Kidz distributes 14+ tons of food every month reaching more than 240 families. Food4Kidz is also a designated Disaster Relief Agency in case of emergencies or natural disasters where they would be a central distribution point to all citizens to provide water, food, supplies, and other support to resist in recovery.
Food4Kidz receives no government assistance and relies on the kindness and generosity of our wonderful local community to serve as many struggling families with children as possible. You can get involved with Food4Kidz by contacting Ric or Bobbie Brigman and help them reach their ultimate goal: to put themselves out of business.
FOOD4KIDZ, INC.
A 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization Serving All Of Bay County Since 2011
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 7707 ▪ Panama City Beach, FL 32413
Corporate Address: 22811 Panama City Beach Parkway, #26 ▪ Panama City Beach, FL 32413
Storehouse Location: 16610 Front Beach Road, Panama City Beach, FL 32413
Phone: (850) 249-5439 (Storehouse) ▪ (850) 624-7485 (Cell)
website: www.food4kidz.org ▪ email: food4kidz@hotmail.com