Rosemary Beach hosted the 7^th annual Rosemary Beach Uncorked, a culinary and wine-pairing event, on Saturday, October 14, 2017, benefiting Habitat for Humanity of Walton County, Florida.

The event raised $35,000 for the local non-profit, which will help fund the completion of Habitat Home 48, located in Santa Rosa Beach.

Held in the coastal town of Rosemary Beach as a giveback to the local community, Rosemary Beach Uncorked is a collaboration of The Merchants of Rosemary Beach restaurants and participating retailers, including Amavida Coffee & Tea, CK’s Feed & Supply, Cowgirl Kitchen, Edward’s Fine Food & Wine, Havana Beach Bar & Grill, La Crema Tapas & Chocolate, Restaurant Paradis, Summer Kitchen Café, Bombora Sun & Surf, Curate, Hissyfits Boutique, Pish Posh Patchouli’s, Tracery, The Hidden Lantern/SEA Contemporary Art Space, and Willow Boutique.

The sold-out event welcomed over 950 attendees to “eat, drink, and be Rosemary” enjoying live music and outdoor lounge seating while exploring the diverse culinary styles of Rosemary Beach’s eight restaurants coupled with boutique wine pairings.

The funds from this year’s Rosemary Beach Uncorked will directly impact the lives of Habitat’s newest homeowners, The Shaw Family.

Home 48 is located on Santa Rosa Street in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida and is currently under construction. Due to recent cuts in funding, Habitat was left without knowing where the assistance would come from in order to complete the home.

“Lack of affordable housing is at an all-time high in our area,” said Habitat Walton County Executive Director Teresa Imdieke. “According to the latest A.L.I.C.E. report, over 57% of Walton County residents can’t afford basic needs. Just last month, over 100 applications that were approved for HUD (The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development) vouchers couldn’t be used because, even with assistance, the applicants couldn’t find affordable places to rent.”

Driven by the vision that everyone deserves a place to live, Habitat for Humanity of Walton County offers a hand-up not a hand-out, enabling the American dream to become a reality for families that often times would not be able to succeed without assistance. Habitat partner families go through an application process, each adult contributes 250 hours of “sweat equity” into building their home, and pay an affordable mortgage. They also attend home ownership finance classes and devote meaningful service in the community.

“Everyone deserves a decent, safe, and affordable home,”said Imdieke. “Habitat is proud to be a part of the solution to the affordable housing crisis and could not carry out its mission without the generosity of communities like Rosemary Beach.”

For more info, visit Rosemary Beach Uncorked and Habitat for Humanity of Walton County.