FORT WALTON BEACH — It’s hard to imagine that more than 75 meals are prepared every day in the Waterfront Rescue Mission’s kitchen.
The tiny kitchen is crammed with ingredients and gear. Compounding the problem is old and inefficient equipment, said Brian Ekedahl, the mission’s executive director.
After 27 years and an estimated 1 million meals, the kitchen needs work, Ekedahl said.
“We just need to keep this mission up,” he said.
The mission wants a new walk-in freezer and cooler, a dish sanitizer, steam table, stainless steel sinks and a convection stove, Ekedahl said.
“When we do our holiday meals that would be a very good convenience for us,” he said.
The mission serves clients three meals each day, dinner for those who stay overnight, lunch for the public on weekdays, and lunch for the homeless on weekends. There also are bag lunches available for anyone who misses the sit-down meal.
Volunteers and people in the mission’s full-time program work in the kitchen.
“This is a work therapy Christian discipleship program,” Ekedahl said. “Our motto is demonstrating God’s goodness by providing rescue and recovery services in Jesus’ name.”
To raise the estimated $40,000 for the kitchen remodeling, the mission will host The Great Mission Kitchen Makeover dinner and auction from 5 to 8 p.m. today at The Palms of Destin Resort and Conference Center. At to be auctioned include an electric guitar autographed by the Rolling Stones, a framed and autographed photo of President Ronald Reagan and a trip for two to Paris.
Tickets will be available at the door.
“At the Waterfront Rescue Mission we do provide food, we do provide shelter, but the reality is our job is to help facilitate and change lives,” Ekedahl said. “We do that one life at a time.”