Local Efforts to Reduce Food Insecurity
As the holidays approach and the year comes to a close, we’re reminded to reflect on what and who is important in our lives. Here at Pensacola Magazine we are reflecting on our connection to the community, especially as we enter a season best known for the act of giving. The biggest questions: What does it mean to be a good neighbor and how can we help our fellow Pensacolians who might be struggling this season? To answer these questions, we looked to some Pensacola residents who are driving change locally to lessen the impact of food insecurity. While our city is abundant with people and organizations providing aid to those in need, speaking with some of those generous locals reminds us of how the need for help is always present and why it is so important to continue to give back.
Food insecurity certainly isn’t an issue unique to Pensacola, but it is still felt strongly among some of our most vulnerable citizens who do not have sufficient access to food. Sometimes the best way to put it into perspective is to look at numbers that reflect the current food-insecurity situation. While the exact number is still being tallied for 2025, it is estimated that over 3.2 million Floridians are food insecure this year–a number that has steadily climbed since 2019. On a scale that hits closer to home: this means that for every seven families you know, one is likely affected.
Grocery Buddy
What began as a talk between four friends transformed into a full-blown initiative geared toward feeding locals in our community during a time of uncertainty. Grocery Buddy is the culmination of efforts led by Veronique Zayas, Emily Ley, Hale Morrissette and Beth Schweigert. While Grocery Buddy is not a new concept to other cities in America, it was an idea that these four women wanted to incorporate in our own backyard.
At the end of October, when many were facing further food insecurity related to the sudden halt of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, Schweigert, Ley and Zayas, jumped into a group text knowing they had to reach out to someone already actively involved in our community to provide assistance to the people who needed it most. Of course, this led them to teaming up with Morrissette, who helped organize ROOTS (Reclaiming Our Own Transitional Stability) this summer with the goal of offering transitional housing, workforce development, medical services and access to grocery boxes. Since Morrissette was already working with a nonprofit also starting to build grocery boxes for immediate pickup, she was able to provide Grocery Buddy with the structure and platform it needed to launch. Hearing from each of these women, the overall driving theme behind establishing Grocery Buddy in Pensacola was this: food represents a basic need that every person deserves to receive.
“We can’t fix everything but we can feed people,” author, podcaster and Grocery Buddy Co-Organizer Emily Ley said. “What a beautiful way to care for people in our community, you know. Food is a most basic need, but it’s also such a communication of love.”
Grocery Buddy is a system of people helping others in a more personal way than just sending a donation–although food and cash donations are always appreciated, especially for those who want to help but may not be able to fund an entire grocery list. To get started, anyone requiring food assistance can sign up and request a list of food items specific to their household needs. When you sign up, you’ll be matched with a “grocery buddy,” a donor who has the option of ordering groceries for delivery, delivering the
groceries in person or shopping with their match to pick out pantry necessities. Grocery buddies are usually paired with a family who is within a reasonable travel distance, and the match is often tailored to specific requests like a buddy wanting to help a family with pets or children.
While Morrissette creates the nonprofit forms and verbiage for community outreach, Zayas handles the spreadsheets and logistics of matching families, Ley serves at the front of communications and Schweigert provides the planning plus venues for awareness events and grocery drop-offs. The group often shares duties, although they gravitated naturally to their roles based on their skillset: Morrissette is a social worker and community activist, Zayas is the founder and intellect behind Hatchmark Studio, Ley is a best-selling author with a background in advertising and Schweigert is a thriving real estate agent as well as the coowner of Odd Colony Brewing Company and The Burrow.
“Being able to meet people’s needs with resources and the resource being another person who you can build a connection with impacts me the most,” Morrissette said. “That’s the part that I love about seeing the outpouring of love: seeing people figure out this is how I can best help you and how they can best get help. That is what we need more of in the world.”
Within 14 days of launching, Grocery Buddy matched 374 buddies with families and raised more than $10,000. While Grocery Buddy started as a way to help families get food when SNAP was on hold, the program will continue as a resource for locals who need access to groceries. Originally a partnership with ROOTS, Grocery Buddy is maintaining momentum and now partnering directly with EPPS Christian Center. For more on how to get involved visit pensacolagrocerybuddies.com, or follow Grocery Buddy Pensacola on Facebook for details on upcoming fundraising and food gathering events.
WolfGang Pensacola
When we think of food insecurity sometimes we forget that this can apply to more than just our human neighbors. As families face issues with getting access to food, entire households are affected—sometimes that means worrying about how furry family members will be fed too. Jess and Kim Wolford, owners of the pet-event planning company WolfGang Pensacola, are two avid animal supporters who provide assistance when it comes to supplying the animals of our community with help when they need it.
Most recently, news circulated regarding families who were relocated to Pensacola NAS from Guantanamo Bay ahead of Hurricane Melissa, a category 5 storm. Due to an overwhelming demand to also feed incoming pets, USO Florida reached out to the Wolfords who then initiated a supply drive to gather food donations for over 300 animals living with the displaced families. Within 8 hours of promoting the drive, USO informed the couple that they had far exceeded their quota. Leftover dog and cat food from the drive was split between Jojo’s Pet Food Pantry at Escambia County Animal Shelter, Pensacola Humane Society and at least 22 families that had been furloughed.
“The last thing we want is for people to give up animals because of something they can’t control,” Jess Wolford said.
The animal food drive for USO is just one of many examples where the Wolfords have lent a helping hand to Pensacola’s animal community. Together, they also founded Pensacola Pawdi Gras, a nonprofit that hosts an annual Mardi Gras celebration and also organizes events throughout the year to support animals in local shelters and rescues in need.
Another such event by Pensacola Pawdi Gras is the third annual Christmas Shelter Pet Drive running now through December 20. The goal is to provide a gift package–filled with a new toy, cozy fleece blanket and a bag of treats–for each dog and cat at the Escambia County Animal Shelter. The drive aims to gather enough donations for at least 300 gift packages. Over the past two years, this community drive has enabled the couple to provide gifts to over 700 animals with the help of their philanthropy Pensacola Pawdi Gras. While monetary donations are welcome, the community is encouraged to drop off non-stuffed toys, blankets and treat bags in person at partnered locations like Perfect Plain Brewing Company, Pensacola Bay Brewery, De Novo Salon, SoBo Boutique, Titanium Wireless and Play Pensacola. Volunteers will personally deliver these gift packages to eager animals on December 21.
Although donations are important, and the reason why WolfGang Pensacola is able to offer necessities like food and simple luxuries like toys and a soft blanket to curl up on, the Wolfords stress the significance of having volunteers who are willing to spend time with shelter animals as well.
“We’re going to see shelter numbers rise and one of our biggest passions is getting volunteers into the shelters,” Wolford said. “It’s a huge impact even if you can do only an hour, for shelter animals to experience human touch and interaction. Funds and supplies are great, but volunteering is changing the narrative of the way people think about helping shelter animals.”
To help out by becoming a volunteer or to offer donations, be sure to follow WolfGang Pensacola’s Facebook page for updates.