April 3, 2025, Arthur Outlaw Convention Center

This is an amazing story. I’m in awe. We love talking about food. We love experiencing food, whether discovering a new eatery, a tried and true favorite, or a new recipe using fresh, local ingredients from the land or the sea. Scenic 98 Coastal has a big appetite when it comes to good food.

A few weeks ago, Linda and I ventured to Foley for the Chamber of Commerce BBQ Cookoff, then to Orange Beach to the Art Festival, and then to Terry Cove to enjoy a beautiful afternoon on the deck at Avenue Pub to listen to good music with good drinks and delicious food. What a way to spend a leisurely Saturday.

Last week our friend David Gibson and I met for coffee at Latte Da in Fairhope, another gem of a place to gather. I mentioned heading to Mobile later for lunch with another friend at Debris on Dauphin Street downtown, an outstanding casual restaurant. He asked if I minded dropping a package off for an upcoming charity event. 

“No problem, happy to do it. What’s the event?” I asked.

“The Chef Challenge. It’s a fundraiser for Feeding the Gulf Coast,” he replied.

“Sounds like an interesting story. Can you introduce me?”

So, he did.

After lunch, I headed to Theodore to visit with Cyndy Baggett, Vice President of Development and Marketing for Feeding the Gulf Coast. I had heard of this organization but really didn’t know much about it. Cyndy greeted me and gave me a tour of the facility. As we toured, she shared some information about Feeding the Gulf Coast. It was impressive, to say the least. And eye-opening.

Originally founded in 1981 as the Bay Area Food Bank, it served Mobile and Baldwin Counties. Today it serves 24 counties along the Gulf Coast in Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida to Panama City. In 2024 Feeding the Gulf Coast distributed 35,000,000 meals. 35 million! Let that sink in…

Feeding the Gulf Coast is the only Feeding America Food Bank in our Scenic 98 Coastal area. Cyndy shared that every county in the United States has a Feeding America food bank, with 200 across the United States. In 2016, Feeding the Gulf Coast rebranded as they expanded to better serve the area, and operates two warehouse distribution facilities, in Mobile and Milton, Florida.

The warehouses are filled with food to be distributed through over 800 partners including churches, soup kitchens, food pantries, and child nutrition sites. In addition to the large dry storage warehouse, there is a huge refrigerated area and freezer area to ensure food purchased or donated is inspected for safety before being sorted for delivery to its partners. 

Pallets with food have been assembled with instructions for different partners to be picked up or delivered with the date. Feeding the Gulf Coast has delivery trucks running 6 days a week. It’s quite impressive, and a bit overwhelming.

Feeding the Gulf Coast’s child nutrition initiative includes four programs—two Federally funded and two supported by donor contributions. The Federally funded programs include the after-school meals program and the summer meals program. “These meals are delivered wherever kids congregate—YMCAs, Boys and Girls Clubs, libraries, or community centers,” explains Cyndy. “We strive to provide healthy, nutritious meals.”

Cyndy showed me the Full Service Disaster Rated Child Nutrition Kitchen, where up to 1,500 hot meals can be prepared and delivered daily to kids in the community. “One in four children are food insecure. If you envision children on a school bus sitting in rows of four seats across—one of those four kids is facing hunger. It is especially critical on weekends, school holidays, and summer. Some kids may go all weekend without a meal.”

The privately funded programs are for weekends and school breaks. The Backpack Program includes a packed bag with six meals and two snacks for elementary-aged students to take home on Friday afternoon, discreetly placed in their backpacks. For middle and high school students, Feeding the Gulf Coast provides a “School Pantry” where students can choose food from at school to take home on weekends. 

How much does it cost to operate the backpack and school pantry programs that are privately funded, I asked. “It’s about $750,000 per year. We receive private funds through grant requests from private foundations, corporations, and private donations. It costs $180 to feed a child for a year through the Feeding the Gulf Coast Backpack Program. 

“We are also a disaster relief organization. When disaster strikes, we coordinate with FEMA and local emergency management agencies to respond with food and water for people and families impacted.” For instance, In 2018, in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Panama City, Feeding the Gulf Coast was on the ground the day after landfall, providing essential food and water. They stayed on site for more than eight weeks and provided emergency food relief directly to the community. 

When we visited the area where donated food was received, she told me that the organization was volunteer-driven. “Our volunteers logged nearly 225,000 hours last year.” That equates to 5,625 40-hour weeks of service. Cyndy points to the stacks of donated food boxes and tells me the volunteers will inspect every item for quality and safety, sort it into categories, and repack it so it can go to its proper place in the warehouse for distribution. Volunteers also pack children’s backpacks and senior boxes and help with mobile pantry distributions.

She tells me about the Senior Box Program. “We deliver a box of shelf-stable food once a month to food-insecure seniors. They run both a federally and privately funded senior box program. “We had seniors on a waiting list, so we established a privately funded program to fill the need.” 

We talked a bit about the rising cost of food and its impact. “Many seniors are on a fixed income after retirement and don’t have a way to supplement their income. Through unforeseen circumstances; raising grandkids, prescription drugs, or medical expenses, they have to make financial decisions that often mean they are not eating. We step in to help.”

Cyndy tells me the Feeding the Gulf Coast total annual operating budget is $15 million (not including donated food), and she and her development team are responsible for raising $6 million in private funds. Recent inflation and some Federal programs have been discontinued adding pressure to raise private funds. 

“One such program, Local Food Purchase Agreement, was a national initiative that provided USDA dollars to purchase food from local farmers. It was a win, win, win. Farmers benefited by selling crops. Food Banks benefited from the additional funds to purchase produce, and the people we serve benefited from the fresh, nutritious produce we were able to provide.” That’s no longer available. “Thirty-five percent of what we distribute is produce. Providing healthy, nutritious food is always a priority.”

“We strive to be exceptional stewards of every dollar we raise,” Cyndy says proudly. “Ninety-seven cents of every dollar supports the mission and programs of Feeding the Gulf Coast. Less than three percent is used for administrative costs. Just $1 can provide up to 5 meals.”

Volunteers, donors, and partners make this work possible. At Feeding the Gulf Coast, they have a phrase that captures it well: “Food, Feet, and Funds.” Whether someone gives one dollar, one food item, or one hour of their time—it all comes together to make an impact. Every dollar, every person, every item truly makes a difference.

Chef Challenge, now in its 25th year, is the only fundraising event for Feeding the Gulf Coast, and they are going all out this year. Chefs from up to 25 area restaurants compete for Best Appetizer, Best Entree, Best Dessert, Best Vegetarian Dish, and People’s Choice for Best Overall. Each chef provides their food and ingredients. “The chefs are super competitive and take winning seriously. We couldn’t do it without them.” Held at the Arthur Outlaw Convention Center on Thursday, April 3, the 500 expected guests will be entertained by the music of Roman Street. 

There will be a silent auction with bourbon (a nod to Judge Roy Bean Spirits), Saints tickets, Experience packages, and many other great items on which to bid. “The food is outstanding and this year’s celebration includes a VIP pre-party reception with a special guest, Bienville Bites  Food Tour founder, Christopher Andrews. Chris will be signing his book, A Culinary History of Mobile. Cyndy tells me they will serve a signature cocktail honoring Chef Challenge’s 25th anniversary.

Cyndy grew up in Mobile and earned her sociology degree from the University of South Alabama. She later entered the world of non-profit development at South Alabama, then Alabama School of Math and Science, before joining Feeding the Gulf Coast more than seven years ago.

“I absolutely love my job,” she says. Working for a nonprofit, especially one that serves a basic human need, takes a special kind of person. “I come to work every day proud to be part of this team. I’m blessed to work alongside incredibly talented and committed people—my colleagues and our volunteers. They all have a heart for serving our community and a shared dedication to making a difference in the lives of others. Feeding the Gulf Coast is truly mission-focused, and it’s an honor to be part of it.”

Everything I learned about Feeding the Gulf Coast is impressive. The need is real. We greatly appreciate the hard-working staff and volunteers who are making a difference in our Scenic 98 Coastal communities. 

Please plan to attend the Chef Challenge: A Challenge to End Hunger! Tickets and sponsorships are still available.

Cyndy is excited, “It’s going to be a fun night for a great cause.”

‍