Brittany Rickoff & Heather Look

Opal &  Lois Weber, Lori Kantin

Penny Daye & Wilma Gilstrap

Jennifer, Jacobus, Ike & Olivia Jens

T

he Artworks Studio and Gallery 
on Perdido Key is not your average 
art studio. The artists here have a 
lot of heart, and they want to feed 

hungry little hearts. Talis Jayme, owner of the 
studio, and Kim Brungraber teamed up to 
create the “Hungry Hearts” event, which will 
be an annual food drive to support 325Zero 
Hunger. This non-profi t’s mission is to end 
all hunger in the 32506 and 32507 zip codes 
of Escambia County. “This event is really 
‘Starving Artists feeding Hungry Hearts”, said 
jewelry artist Cynthia Habgood.

Kim Bringraber said about the event, “We 

really had no idea how much we needed an 

organization like this in our area. Between Talis 
and the guidance counselors in our schools, 
we learned that over 60 percent of Escambia 
County public school students, roughly 24,000 
children, rely on the school system for at least 
two free or reduced-price meals a day during 
the school year. Approximately 1,500 to 2,000 
of the 24,000 eligible students will receive 
meals during a part of the summer provided 
through the USDA programs. The remaining 
22,000 are left to make other arrangements.”

325ZeroHunger is currently working with 

seven elementary and middle schools in their 
geographic area and will make sure that each 
food contribution is distributed to those 

children and families in need. Party guests were 
encouraged to bring a food contribution for this 
wonderful charity. Kitsie Biggerstaff-Mott is a 
volunteer with Perdido Bay Methodist Church, 
and helps to sustain a “Backpack Program” 
to help feed 200 children a week. The schools’ 
social workers contact Kitsie and involved 
churches, to help deliver emergency boxes to 
families in crisis. Four area churches organize 
a mobile food pantry during the middle of 
each month to help ease the burden on families 
and the elderly in need when their benefi ts are 
running low. 

Tricia Wible & Cynthia Habgood

   VIP Pensacola at Artworks Studio & Gallery 

photos & story by

 Kristina Wright

Kim Brungraber & Dixie Picheo

Hungry Hearts

16     |    VIPPensacola.com

16-17 Event Hungry Hearts.indd   1

2/25/18   11:03 AM