WAKULLA COUNTY, FL — The Big Bend Maritime Center in Panacea is hosting its second annual Gumbo Cookoff this Saturday at Wooley Park to fundraise for their programs. The fundraiser is more important this year following a $12,000 wood theft last September.
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"We can't do the work we do without wood, it’s as simple as that," said Natasha Hartsfield, a volunteer with the Big Bend Maritime Center.
The theft stripped the volunteer-run center of its reclaimed sinker cypress wood, a locally sourced material that volunteers dry and mill themselves. The process is time-intensive, and replacing the stolen supply has been a significant setback for the organization which relies on that wood to run its children's programs, including summer camps where kids build boats, skimboards, and paddleboards.
Hartsfield said the cook-off directly supports the center's mission.
"So this event really does help us to continue in our mission to teach maritime heritage, purchase the materials. We need to do that and then go forth with what we do there and teaching our community and sharing that craft with the community," explained Hartsfield.
Hartsfield said operating as a fully volunteer-run nonprofit has become increasingly difficult.
"You know, being a nonprofit, a volunteer-run nonprofit, it's hard these days. I mean, it really is because funding is not as available as it once was, and so being out there boots on the ground, doing the grassroots organizing to have fundraisers is really where it's at," said Hartsfield.
The wood used to build just one boat for the center's summer program starts at $2,500—not including sandpaper, personal protective equipment, and equipment maintenance. The stolen wood represented roughly a full year's operating budget for the organization.
"It is a finite resource, particularly the woods that we use, because we use woods that are locally sourced. Much of it is sinker Cypress that comes out of the rivers around here," explained Hartsfield.
Following the theft, the community rallied to help the center purchase supplies to keep its programs running while volunteers work to rebuild their wood stock.
"It's one of those heartwarming things to see that these types of events, whether it's a fundraiser or a community partnership, they really are bringing a unifying kind of feel to all of it," said Hartsfield.
Camper Caleb Stubbs said the center's summer camps have been a positive experience.
"I like it because I get to meet, well, have gotten to meet new people, interact with them, and build boats."
His mother, Erin Stubbs, said she enrolled him to help him develop new skills and stay engaged over the summer.
"So he's learned a little bit of a trade with woodworking and how to use the tools for woodworking. So it's kind of given him a base to start with that he can then elaborate on the older he gets and do more of. But it's also taught him about our area, has taught him about the water, water safety," she said.
Erin Stubbs said programs like these are important for the community.
The Gumbo Cookoff kicks off at noon this Saturday at Wooley Park in Panacea. All proceeds will go to support the Big Bend Maritime Center and its programs.
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