Waste Not Want Not is bringing its Corks & Forks fundraiser back to the Sawgrass Marriott in Ponte Vedra Beach on Sept. 26, with doors opening at 7 p.m. for what organizers describe as an evening built to fight hunger and reduce food waste across Northeast Florida. The gala includes live and silent auctions, a VIP reception featuring a bourbon tasting and cigar rolling, and an afterglow gathering once the main event wraps up.
This marks the second annual Corks & Forks event, according to Action News Jax, which reports that Hot 106.5 host Shawn Knight and Kajeza Hawkins will co-emcee the night. Tickets are available for purchase, and Action News Jax is serving as a media sponsor of the event. The inaugural gathering, held under the name The Jade Edition to mark the charity's 35th anniversary, took place last September and featured retired Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Tom McManus and chef Denny Chan, according to 93.7 K Country, which notes the event is held annually on the final Saturday of September.
A 35-Year-Old Mission Rooted in a Mall Food Court
Waste Not Want Not traces its origins to 1990, when founder Debra Smyers noticed a restaurant at the Orange Park Mall throwing away large quantities of edible food. She began connecting local food donors with nearby feeding programs using her own vehicle, a grassroots effort that has since grown into a major regional operation, according to WOKV.
The nonprofit now rescues more than 2 million pounds of food annually — averaging over 4,000 pounds per day — from more than 50 local retailers and restaurants, redistributing it to roughly 100 partner charities across 14 Northeast Florida counties within 24 hours, per Baptist Health. Rescued items go directly to soup kitchens, shelters and food pantries throughout the region.
Expanded Facility Meets Rising Local Need
In April, the organization completed renovations on its expanded food rescue center in Orange Park, nicknamed the Castle, adding commercial refrigeration and handling space to process more perishable items and streamline regional distribution. The upgrade positioned the charity to meet growing demand as food insecurity has climbed in its core service area. Florida Department of Health figures cited by the same Baptist Health report show Clay County's food insecurity rate rose from 8% in 2021 to about 12% in 2023, while Duval County's rate climbed from 10.6% to nearly 15% over the same period.
Regional food bank Feeding Northeast Florida reported in March that roughly 1 in 5 children and 1 in 7 adults across its 12-county service area experience chronic food insecurity, according to The Recorder. That backdrop underscores why community-funded events like Corks & Forks matter for sustaining daily rescue operations.
Leadership and Growth Behind the Scenes
Dr. Kathleen N. Spears joined Waste Not Want Not as executive director in September 2024, bringing healthcare administration leadership experience from prior roles with Humana and Walmart Health, according to information from Waste Not Florida. Spears, who holds a PhD in Community Health, was honored this year with the Jack Myers Executive Director of the Year award from the Paul & Klare Reinhold Foundation.
Federal tax filings show the organization generated $3,572,119 in total revenue during fiscal year 2025, a 24% increase from the prior year, with fundraising events netting $81,602, per Cause IQ. Foundation grants and private donations still make up the bulk of the nonprofit's revenue, but events like Corks & Forks contribute directly to the group's operating capacity.
A National Problem With a Local Fix
The stakes extend well beyond Northeast Florida. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that between 30% and 40% of the nation's food supply goes to waste each year — roughly 133 billion pounds — making food the single largest material class sent to municipal landfills, where rotting organic waste generates substantial methane emissions. Federal regulators have moved to address the problem: the Food and Drug Administration's updated Food Code guidelines explicitly clarify safety standards to encourage grocers and restaurants to donate unsold, wholesome food rather than throwing it away, part of a broader federal goal to cut national food loss and waste in half by 2030.
Locally, that federal framework translates into the daily work Waste Not Want Not performs across its 14-county footprint, and into fundraisers like Corks & Forks that keep the trucks running and the Castle's refrigeration humming. Tickets remain available for the Sept. 26 gala at the Sawgrass Marriott, with proceeds supporting the nonprofit's ongoing food rescue and distribution efforts.
