Food for Thought is a wonderful charity which provides free breakfast for children in need in government schools here in the Turks and Caicos Islands.  When I was asked to assist with styling and decorating for a new event planned for October, I jumped at the opportunity.  Many volunteers worked together to transform the space, the Long Bay High School for the first ever Picnic en Blanc Providenciales.  See the before and after below!

Photos credit: Sean Brady of Kaieri Photography

The press release:

On Saturday 27 October 2018 Long Bay High School was transformed into a romantic, opulent setting to host scores of Picnic en Blanc party-goers who helped raise more than $11,500 for Food for Thought’s breakfast programmes at the government schools.

The stylish Picnic guests, all of whom dressed in white from head to toe, added to the spectacular atmosphere. They enjoyed their stunning surroundings while sipping on champagne and dining on a feast of delicious offerings – charcuterie and cheese boards, vegetarian canapes, and mouth-watering, bite-sized desserts. The DJ’s playlist enhanced the light and laid-back ambiance, while a slideshow of the charity’s achievements was displayed in the background.

Food for Thought was very pleased to have in attendance H.E. the Governor and Mrs Freeman, H.E. Deputy Governor Hon. Anya Williams, Hon. Akierra Missick, MP for Long Bay, Director of Education Mr Edgar Howell, and Long Bay High School Principal Ms Whiskey-John.

The charity’s founders Jeanne and Karen Savory are extremely thankful to everyone who attended, donated, supported and helped make the fundraiser come to life.

“Our deepest thanks to the awesome Picnic en Blanc Committee, especially Pavan Uttamchandani, Leisha MacDonald, and Tara Bywater for all their hard work and support in putting this big undertaking together! Huge thanks also to the Principal Whiskey-John, her staff, and the Department of Education for their assistance. They trusted their school in our hands and we think they were pleasantly surprised with the results on the night!

The amazing transformation of the venue was thanks to the expertise of the brilliant Stacie Steensland, with beautiful table settings donated by Flowers by EA, and lighting and music donated by Subtronic Sound, as well as a small army of volunteers including Kirk, Matt, Orane, JF, and Meelike.

A special thank you to Gilley’s Enterprises for their generous sponsorship of our first Picnic en Blanc, including gift bags for all attendees! They have been great supporters of Food for Thought since our very first event. We would like to recognise Le Bouchon du Village for their great work in preparing and filling the picnic baskets, and fabulous VIP platter. We are also immensely grateful to the following kindhearted people who donated delectable canapes and desserts, which really topped off the fabulous affair – Mango Reef, Griffen Wall, From Scratch, Retreat Kitchen, and The Cake Studio 649.

Thanks must also go to the event’s corporate sponsors, who had faith that we could make a success out of our first upscale benefit. We are indebted to Turkberry, GP Group, KB Home Center, ERA Real Estate, Miller Simons O’Sullivan, Chartered Trust, Misick & Stanbrook, Turks & Caicos Banking Company, Tip of the Tail Villa, Savory & Co., Temple Financial Group, Sailrock, Wine Cellar and JohnnyLegend!

In addition to all of the people already mentioned, we also have to thank Sean Brady of Kaieri Photography for donating his excellent services, and our attentive volunteers Sandy, Carol, Rori, Mae, Lindsay, and especially Laura who made sure everything ran smoothly. Thanks also to Ernst, Auriol, Tanya, Ana-Alicia, Max, Lucid Illumination, Caicos Catering, Lovin Turks & Caicos, Pioneers Cleaners, Dove Security, Mr Walker, and Got U Covered.

Last but definitely not least we would like to express huge appreciation to all of the generous companies and individuals who donated wonderful prizes to our silent auction and raffle, helping us to raise further funds for our breakfast programmes. These caring corporate citizens were: Sailrock, Panopoly, Wake to Wake, Beaches, Brilliant Studios, Kalooki’s, Gansevoort, Goldsmith, Crossfit Gym, Physiologic, FOTTAC, Solana, West Indie, Konk, Royal Jewels, West Bay Club, Rejouvenance Spa.

As you can see, it takes many, many kind people to put together a grand fundraiser like this and we are so appreciative for the enormous support we received. We really enjoyed the event and we hope our guests did too. Now it’s time for a well-deserved rest for our whole team. But not really, because we still have breakfast programmes to run!

The funds raised at Picnic en Blanc will go towards our Breakfast Programme in five government schools, and our Food Bank Programme in the remaining ten government schools. We have sufficient funds to expand our Breakfast Programme to a further two schools (which have been identified), and will do so once hurricane repairs are completed next year. Our programmes run smoothly thanks to the wonderful Quality Food Centre, Lew 1 Shipping and our Operations Manager Tara. Turks & Caicos Sotheby’s International Real Estate’s ongoing support as a Partner Sponsor means the world to us as it provides security for the longevity of our work. Food for Thought sure is a team effort.”

Many thanks to everyone who supported!  I look forward to making this an annual event.