A red, white and blue-jeans indoor picnic is coming to Carrollwood next month, and the tickets being sold for $15 a person or $25 a couple are meant to do more than fund an evening of music and comedy. Life Amplified NOURISH is set for Saturday, Nov. 7, from 8 to 10 p.m. at The Studio at Carrollwood Cultural Center, with proceeds benefiting Food Packs for Kids, a program that helps feed hungry students across Hillsborough County.
According to Tampa Bay 28, the evening is built around a hands-on creative event, picnic games and a personal picnic meal for each guest, all under the red-white-and-blue-jeans theme. The event is a production of Life Amplified, the volunteer-driven arts-and-philanthropy showcase created by Deborah Bostock-Kelley, founder of The WriteOne Creative Services. Per the organization's site, what began as a spontaneous idea in a movie theater lobby back in 2012 has since grown into a Tampa Bay tradition, and NOURISH marks the program's 13th year and 18th fundraiser overall.
Music, Comedy And A Catered Picnic Spread
Journalist Cloe Cabrera will emcee the night, and the bill includes live music featuring some of the best voices from Tampa Bay's musical stages, along with comedy from Tampa Metropolitan Improv, the event's listing notes. Vocal4Media is handling the DJ duties, while the venue itself is sponsored by Carrollwood Cultural Center.
On the food side, Campbell River Cheese and Charcuterie will create individual picnic meals for guests, paired with cookies from LeAnn's Cookies and a dessert table. The night also includes $5 raffle prizes, and tickets are available through lifeamplifiedshowcase.com.
Where The Money Goes
Food Packs for Kids is a program of Mind Over Matter, and it currently supports about 550 children each week during the school year, helping them access food when school meals aren't available, the nonprofit says on its site. As of summer 2026, Mind Over Matter had distributed more than 30,000 Food Packs for Kids, according to the organization. The program provides child-friendly, shelf-stable food to students facing food insecurity over weekends, school breaks and summer.
The program currently serves eight schools and one shelter in Hillsborough County, and FOX 13 Tampa Bay reports the operation runs almost entirely on donations and volunteers. FOX 13 reports the program launched in August 2024 and grew to distribute 500 bags weekly; Bay News 9 reports it started with about 20 children at one elementary school. Bay News 9 also reports organizers hope to expand the effort into Pinellas County.
The need behind the program is significant: more than a third of Florida families reported facing food insecurity in the past year, per a Florida Hunger Survey cited by Bay News 9. For organizers of Life Amplified NOURISH, the picnic-themed fundraiser offers one more way for Tampa Bay residents to chip in toward that gap, one $15 ticket at a time.
