Café Thirty-A Raises Record $81,000 for Caring and Sharing of South Walton

Café Thirty-A’s Annual Christmas Charity Ball, presented by honorary sponsors Earl Bacon, the Ellis Family, and Thomas Howell Ferguson, was held on Saturday, December 7, 2024 and raised a record-breaking $81,000 for Caring and Sharing of South Walton, an organization that provides food and financial assistance to area families and individuals in need.

From left to right: Carly Barnes, Executive Director of Caring & Sharing of South Walton; David Kessler and Jackie Maliszewski, owners of Cafe Thirty-A.

The sold-out event welcomed over 250 guests to the festively decorated restaurant, courtesy of Theresa Felton with La Florida Properties. Guests were greeted with complimentary valet parking, sponsored by All Access Coach and Leasing, and a glass of champagne, courtesy of Thor Construction and Design. Inside, event goers enjoyed heavy hors d’oeuvres, a gourmet dinner buffet, cash bar sponsored by All Access Coaching and Leasing, and a variety of desserts courtesy of Haney Holloway, LLC. Sponsors and VIP attendees also received exclusive access to a pre-party event provided by Hannah Martin of Coastal Luxury Real Estate.

Throughout the night, guests had the opportunity to view and bid on various pieces of art, jewelry, gift baskets, and other luxurious items featured in the extensive silent auction, sponsored by Disco. There was also an Epic Photo Co. photo booth, courtesy of A BOHEME Design, for guests to commemorate the evening and a DJ, sponsored by Marsh Lending, which kept the dance floor going all night long. Santa also made a surprise appearance at this year’s event, courtesy of Centennial Bank, and captured photos with guests, sponsored by Coastal Luxury Real Estate.

Through ticket sales, sponsorship, donations, and funds raised from the silent auction, the annual event raised a record-breaking grand total of $81,000 for Caring and Sharing of South Walton. The money raised will be used to provide local families with access to food, financial assistance, case management, and connection to other resources.

“The needs of our community are greater than ever; we ended 2024 seeing a record number of clients.  The $81,000 raised at the Charity Ball will help us continue providing necessary resources to Walton County families,” said Carly Barnes, executive director of Caring and Sharing of South Walton. “We are so thankful for the continued support of Cafe Thirty-A and the event sponsors and attendees who make this event a huge success!”

Café Thirty-A would like to thank Counts Real Estate Group 30A for being a Supporting Sponsor as well as Julio Beaton and Barn Capital Group for being Friend of Harriet Crommelin Sponsors of this year’s event.

Café Thirty-A would also like to thank all of those who donated to the silent auction including 30A Arrange, The 30A Company, 30A Distilling Co., 30A MedAesthetics, Adaro Art, Aja 30A, Ambrosia, Avantgarde Salon, Back Beach Barbecue, The Beach House, Big Daddy's Bike Shop, Blue Door Boutique, Boshamps Seafood & Oyster House, Bradford Portraits, Bradley Copeland, Camille's at Crystal Beach, Chanticleer Eatery, Clay 30A, Cultural Arts Alliance, Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation, Disco, Elite Spray Tan, Emerald Coast Magazine, Gigi's Fab Kids, Grand Boulevard, Grayton Beer Company, Graze 30A, Hidden Lantern Bookstore, Idyll Hound Proper, Indigo, JA 30A Salon, Jackacudas, Jamie Rich Photography, Jim Shirley Enterprises, Jonah Allen, K. Witherspoon, Krista Luter Photo, La Luna Children’s Boutique, Legendary Marine, Lisa Rogers Photography, Louis Louis, Luxury Escape Deals, Marilu Morgan, Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation, Merry Beth Myrick, Mignot & Co, Modus Photography, Nigel’s Bananas, Optikk 30A, Palm Folly, Pure Collective, Regatta Bay, Reshelled Jewelry, Restaurant Paradis , Saltwater Aesthetics, Seagrove Glass, Seaside School, Serenity by the Sea Spa, The Ships Chandler, Sinfonia Gulf Coast, The Solaris, Still Waters Aesthetics & Wellness, Stinky’s Fish Camp, Studio 30A, Tiffany and Co., Tracery Interiors, VIP Destin Magazine, The Watson Group, YOLO Board and Bike, and The Zoo Gallery.

For area businesses interested in sponsorship for the 2025 Café Thirty-A Christmas Charity Ball slated for the first week of December, please contact Jessica Bracken at jessica@proffittpr.com.

https://sowal.com/business/caring-sharing-of-south-walton

Caring & Sharing of South Walton provides food and financial support to our neighbors in need in Walton County. The Thrift Store helps cover our program and operating costs. Assistance M/W/F 9:00-2:00 and the store is open Monday-Friday from 9:00 - 4:00.
112 Lynn Drive, Santa Rosa Beach, FL, 32459

History of Caring & Sharing Of South Walton

Soon after the South Walton Ministerial Association (SWMA) was formed, Dr. Bob Edgar suggested that a  Neighbors-in-Need program be started to coordinate the efforts of the various churches in helping those in need in the community as well as transients. Pat Wilson was placed in charge of this “hip-pocket” operation, using his home telephone number for contacts. The revenue for the Neighbors-in-Need program came through pledges from the churches who were members of SWMA and from an annual golf tournament conducted by Sandestin Resort. In 1995, their income was a little under $10,000.

Meanwhile, local realtor, Ed Moreau, had a vision for a community-based and community-supported agency called Caring & Sharing of South Walton County. He shared his vision and formed a board of directors to implement his plans. The original board consisted of Rev. Bob Hendricks, Pat Potter, Ed Moreau, and Lenah Schrader, with Bob serving as president.

The organization was incorporated in July 1994. Ed donated the building. Money was borrowed to purchase the land and erect the structure. Businesses in the community and volunteers from various churches donated labor and materials, supervised by Ed.

In October 1996, with the building nearing completion, Barbara Rodgers-Hendricks was hired to coordinate the remaining construction, organize the operation, and pack Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets. At the same time, SWMA agreed to transfer their pledge monies to Caring & Sharing of South Walton, with this agency subsuming the Neighbors-in-Need program. As part of the agreement between Caring & Sharing of South Walton and SWMA, three ministers would sit on the board of directors.

At the time of transfer, the board of directors was composed of Rev. Bob Hendricks, Pat Potter, Ed Moreau, Lenah Schrader, Harold Lucas, Rev. Carl Bright, Sherry Nelson, and Pat Wilson. Pat, who was then the director of Fishers of Men retreat grounds, was serving as a ministerial member. When Barbara was hired, Bob resigned from the board and Pat Potter became president. She served for a year, and then Carl was elected to the position.

For a few weeks, Barbara also operated from her home telephone, as Pat Wilson had done. She met clients at The Community Church and at the Caring & Sharing building. Early November, she and a crew of volunteers moved into the new building although the floor was not down, nor was the plumbing installed. There were a couple of space heaters, and A&G Plumbing allowed us to come over and use their restrooms.

Christmas toys were provided that year for the children of families in need. Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets were packed in the Community Center, as they were for several years following.

After Christmas, the doors were closed again to allow the construction workers to come in and finish the project. We opened our doors permanently in April 1997.

Caring and Sharing of South Walton has grown markedly since we first began operations in October 1996. To give you an idea of the growth we have seen, in 2002, we assisted 585 families during crisis situations. One hundred and thirty Thanksgiving baskets were packed and one hundred eighty one Christmas baskets. Christmas toys and gifts were provided for three hundred and twenty children.

Today, we see close to 500 families each month. Our Thanksgiving program will reach 500 families this November and we expect to provide gifts to over 500 local children through our Angel Tree Program.

In 2020 we expanded our service area to reach all of Walton County and also expanded our Financial Assistance Policies helping with past due rent, past due utilities, and a number of other things. We have added counseling and case management services on site and have worked really hard to create a strong referral network within our community.

We began operations with one coordinator and a few volunteers. We now have a total of eight employees and over 150 regular volunteers.

Charing & Sharing of South Walton is supported by our Thrift Store Revenue, area churches, foundations, business, and individual donors. The work we do in Walton County is only possible through the support of our community!