Matrix COC

08/26/2026

🧦✨ Our Generation Next Kids Socks & Underwear Drive is officially underway!

A huge thank-you to Amber and the entire team at 1st Franklin Financial in DeFuniak Springs for partnering with Matrix Community Outreach Center to collect these much-needed essentials for local homeless and at-risk students.

The community is invited to donate:

🧦 New socks
👕 New underwear
📏 All sizes—from kindergarten through 12th grade, including adult sizes for our older students

Donations may be dropped off at the 1st Franklin Financial branch located at:

📍 1021 US Highway 331 S., Unit 10
DeFuniak Springs, FL 32435

These may seem like small essentials, but they make a big difference in helping students feel comfortable, confident, and ready to learn. Thank you for helping us meet the needs of local children throughout the school year! 💚

08/22/2026

🎈 Kicking Off the 2026 Generation Next Kids Program in a BIG Way! 🎒👟💙

A huge THANK YOU to B&C Event Planning LLC for creating this absolutely beautiful balloon arch to help us kick off our Generation Next Kids Program Distribution Week!

As referrals begin coming in from the the Walton County School District, our team is scheduling students to visit Generation Next and receive the support they need to thrive throughout the school year and beyond. From clothing, shoes and school supplies to hygiene items, haircuts and other essential needs, Generation Next is here year-round, helping ensure local students have access to the essentials they need as needs arise. 📚✨

We are so grateful to B&C Event Planning LLC, a local owned, family-run business, for providing their time and talent to make our space extra special for the students walking through our doors. The balloon arch is BEAUTIFUL and created such a welcoming environment as we begin another year of serving our local students! 🎈❤️

Thank you for supporting Generation Next and helping us show our kids that their community is behind them, not just at the beginning of the school year, but all year long. 💙

08/21/2026

📚 Investing in Our Team. Strengthening Our Community.

Today, our newest Case Manager, Macy McGovern, represented Matrix Community Outreach Center at the Walton County Prevention Coalition’s De-Escalation Training.

The training focused on practical strategies for preventing escalation, improving communication, reducing conflict, and responding calmly and effectively during challenging situations.

These are important skills for our team as we work each day with individuals and families navigating difficult and often stressful circumstances. Continuing to learn and strengthen how we communicate and respond helps us provide compassionate, professional, and effective support to those we serve.

We’re proud to have Macy representing Matrix and continuing to build the skills that help us better serve our neighbors. 💙

A special thank you to the Walton County Prevention Coalition for hosting this training and investing in the professionals and organizations serving our community. Opportunities like this help all of us work together to create a safer, stronger, and more supportive Walton County.

Stronger staff. Stronger services. Stronger communities.

08/21/2026

🌟 JULY AT MATRIX: HELPING PEOPLE THRIVE AND COMMUNITIES PROSPER 🌟

Every number represents a person who reached out, a family facing uncertainty, or a household working toward greater stability.

During July, Matrix C.O.C. documented:

💰 $31,326 in financial assistance requested through completed July Needs Assessments

☎️ 331 individualized client support sessions, including:

🏠 195 Prevention Support sessions
⛺ 119 Homeless Services Support sessions
🤝 17 Advocacy Support sessions

But our work does not stop there.

Matrix case managers provided individualized Stability Navigation and Success Coaching to 48 households representing approximately 160 people, including 99 children and 61 adults.

This deeper level of support included identifying barriers, developing personalized action plans, coordinating resources, completing required documentation, communicating with landlords and partnering agencies, and helping households take meaningful steps toward long term stability.

Through grant funding focused on housing stability:

👥 48 individuals were served
🧑 23 adults received assistance
👧 25 children were reached
🏡 12 family households and 2 single adults received support
✅ 98 services were provided, including case management and utility assistance
💙 42 individuals across 9 families met eligibility requirements for family focused support

Through grant funding focused on strengthening families and preventing housing loss:

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 47 individuals were served
🧑 13 adults received assistance
🧒 34 children were reached
🏠 9 family households and 1 single adult received support
✅ 52 services were provided, including case management and rental assistance

The Redemption Boutique also played an important role in extending practical support throughout our community.

🛍️ Redemption Boutique staff contributed 328.63 service hours toward supporting community programs and providing affordable, accessible resources.

🙌 Volunteers contributed an additional 128.15 service hours to help Matrix programs operate, organize resources, and serve individuals and families throughout the community.

💚 The Redemption Boutique distributed $2,440.77 in donated clothing, household necessities, and other essential items to individuals and families in need.

These numbers show more than activity. They show families being heard, housing crises being addressed, barriers being identified, and people receiving the guidance and support needed to move forward.

At Matrix, assistance is not simply about meeting an immediate need. It is about helping individuals and families build a path toward stability, self sufficiency, and lasting change.

This work is made possible by the Homelessness and Housing Alliance, Chelco, FPL, United Way Emerald Coast, and the The St. Joe Community Foundation, Inc., along with the generous support of our donors, shoppers, volunteers, partners, and community members.

Thank you for helping people thrive and building a community where everyone has the opportunity to prosper. 💚🤎

08/13/2026

✂️ Fresh Cuts, Full Hearts, Bright Futures 🎒💛

As Generation Next Kids kicks off the first week of school, we are celebrating the incredible people who make this work possible. 🌟

We are deeply grateful for our wonderful case managers, whose compassion and dedication help children and families feel supported, seen, and valued. 💕 We also celebrate the amazing people in our communities whom we are proud to call our neighbors. When help is needed, they show up with open hearts and willing hands. 🫶🏽

This week, thanks to your generosity, we provided children with backpacks, school supplies, clothing, socks, shoes, underwear, and some much needed haircuts. 🎒📚👕🧦👟✂️

A haircut may seem like a small thing, but for a child of any age, it can mean walking into school with renewed confidence and a sense of pride. 😊 It is about more than appearance. It is about dignity, belonging, and helping every child begin the school year knowing they matter. 💛

To everyone who donated, volunteered, encouraged, or supported our efforts, thank you. 🙏🏽 You are helping our children start the school year prepared, confident, and surrounded by love. ✨

This is what community looks like. Full hearts, fresh starts, and bright futures. 🏫💖🌈

08/12/2026

08/07/2026

🍎📚 $100 TEACHER APPRECIATION GIVEAWAY! 📚🍎

In honor of the incredible, hardworking teachers of Walton County, Matrix Community Outreach Center and our Generation Next Kids Program want to show a little extra appreciation as the new school year gets underway! ❤️

This year, we’re giving ONE special Walton County teacher a $100 Amazon Gift Card to use for whatever they may still need for their classroom, snacks for their kiddos, school supplies, decorations, classroom essentials… whatever helps make their year a little easier! ✏️🖍️📓

HOW TO NOMINATE YOUR FAVORITE TEACHER:

👍 LIKE this post
💬 COMMENT with the name of your favorite Walton County teacher
📲 SHARE this post and help us celebrate our amazing educators!

Every teacher nominated will be entered into our drawing.

🎉 Voting starts NOW!
🏆 Winner drawn August 31st!

We’ll personally deliver the $100 Amazon Gift Card to the winning teacher at their school! ❤️

Help us flood the comments with the names of the teachers who work so hard every day to educate, encourage, and care for the children of Walton County.

Let’s show our teachers just how much our community appreciates them! 🍎❤️

08/05/2026

❤️ It Takes a Community

Our 24/7 Little Free Pantry is more than just a wooden box. It’s a lifeline for neighbors who need emergency food when no one else is open.

For years, YOU have kept it stocked, making sure no one in our community has to go hungry. Because of your generosity, this little pantry has helped countless families.

Unfortunately, after years of serving our community, the pantry itself is falling apart. The wood is dry rotted, weathered, and in desperate need of replacement.

We’re hoping someone in our community would be willing to donate the materials and labor to build a new one. If possible, we’d love to make it a little larger so it can hold even more food for families in need.

🎨 The best part? We already have a local artist ready to repaint it!

If you or someone you know can help, send us a message here on Facebook or reach out to 850-307-8100.

Together, we can continue making sure help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for anyone who needs it.

❤️ Because caring for our neighbors is what community is all about.

08/04/2026

📣 WE’RE STILL LOOKING!

Despite reaching out across the community, we have not yet found a space for our Generation Next Program in the Freeport area. We know the right opportunity is out there, and we’re asking for your help one more time.

Generation Next is a partnership with the Walton County School District that provides support to students and families experiencing housing instability. By meeting their basic needs, we’re able to provide educational stability, empower students to succeed, and remove barriers that can interfere with learning.

We are ideally looking for 1,000 to 2,000 square feet, but please don’t let that discourage you from reaching out. If you have a smaller space, we may be able to make it work by adjusting how we store inventory. We are committed to being creative and flexible if it means continuing to serve local students.

We are open to:
🏢 Donated space (in kind)
🏢 Affordable rental opportunities
🏢 Office, retail, or warehouse style space

Every lead matters. Even if you’re unsure whether a space would work, please reach out anyway. One conversation could be exactly what we need.

📞 Candy Nowling, Executive Director
850-307-8100

💙 Please share this post. The more people who see it, the greater the chance that someone knows of the perfect space. Together, we can continue empowering local students with the stability and resources they need to thrive in school and in life.

08/03/2026

🚨 FOOD PANTRY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! 🚨

Our food pantry is in desperate need of volunteers each week!

We need help with:
• Receiving and unloading our food truck
• Sorting and organizing food
• Packing food boxes
• Assisting with food distribution to families in need

**Volunteer Opportunities:**
📅 Every Wednesday: 12:00 PM to approximately 4:00 PM (depending on the food truck arrival time)
📅 Every Thursday: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

📍 Matrix Community Outreach Center
37 State Highway 83
DeFuniak Springs, FL 32433

Whether you can volunteer for a couple of hours or the entire day, your time makes a tremendous difference. Every box packed and every family served helps provide food to families in need throughout our community.

If you're interested in volunteering, please text **850-307-8100** with **"Food Pantry Volunteer."**

Thank you for helping us fight hunger in our community!