Florida’s Emerald Coast to Unite for 4th Annual Hope for the Hungry Event
900 volunteers are needed at the Emerald Coast Convention Center on Saturday, August 6th to pack 300,000 meals headed for Haiti through Mission of Hope.
The 4th Annual Hope for the Hungry Emerald Coast event will be held on Saturday, August 6th at Emerald Coast Convention Center (1250 Miracle Strip Pkwy SE, Fort Walton Beach). 900 volunteers of all ages are needed to pack over 300,000 meals destined for kids in need in Haiti through nonprofit relief organization, Mission of Hope.
Destin teen Bryson Turner created the annual event that now feeds hundreds of thousands of people annually. When a devastating earthquake hit Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 2010, 3 year-old Bryson began praying for Haiti daily. So in 2014 and 2015, his family traveled to Haiti on mission trips with Mission of Hope to visit the country that had been on his heart for most of his childhood. After that second trip, Bryson began continually asking about raising money to host a food packing event to help Mission of Hope to feed kids in Haiti.
Bryson's first Hope for the Hungry event in 2019 raised $6,000 and packed 22,000 meals. He nearly doubled that in 2020 with another 40,000 meals. And in 2021, Bryson, his family, several local churches, and the greater Destin community came together to pack an astonishing 250,000 meals. The goal is even higher this year, with a financial goal of $100,000 and 900 volunteers needed to pack 300,000 meals.
"This event is bringing our community together in such a unique way,” says event director (and Bryson’s mom), Mhari Turner. "This is a multigenerational event that whole families, teams, clubs, and neighbors can come together to participate in. We like to say that it is a local event with a global effect.”
Donate today or sign up as a volunteer: MissionOfHope.com/Hope-for-the-hungry
