Matrix COC

06/18/2026

❤️ Community Supporting Community ❤️

A huge thank you to Main Street DeFuniak Springs for allowing Matrix Community Outreach Center to be part of their recent Boston Butt Sale fundraiser benefiting Faith Factor!

As part of this partnership, supporters had the opportunity to purchase a Boston Butt to support the event and then donate it to Matrix Community Outreach Center to help feed local families in need. Thanks to the generosity of our community, we received 4 donated Boston Butts this past Saturday!

These donations will help provide meals and support to families who may be struggling to make ends meet. What may seem like a small act of kindness can make a big difference to a family facing difficult circumstances.

This is a perfect example of how giving back doesn’t always require a large commitment. Every act of generosity, no matter how big or small, helps strengthen our community and reminds people that they are not alone.

If you’re interested in learning more about ways to support local families, follow us on social media, visit our website, or reach out to us directly.

🌐 Website: www.matrixcoc.org
📞 Executive Director: 850-307-8100

Together, we can continue making a difference one family, one meal, and one act of kindness at a time. 💙

06/17/2026

🌀 HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS LOOKS DIFFERENT FOR EVERYONE 🌀

As hurricane season continues, we encourage everyone to make preparations now. However, we recognize that many of our neighbors are facing financial hardship, living on fixed incomes, staying in motels, or experiencing homelessness. Traditional preparedness checklists often assume families have extra money for supplies, generators, fuel, and weeks of emergency food storage. For many in our community, that simply isn’t realistic.

If you’re unable to build a full hurricane kit, focus on what matters most:

✅ Keep your phone charged whenever possible
✅ Save important phone numbers on paper
✅ Keep medications together and refill prescriptions early when possible
✅ Store your ID, insurance cards, and important documents in a waterproof bag
✅ Keep a change of clothes and basic hygiene items ready
✅ Set aside a few shelf-stable food items and bottled water if you can

Remember: You do not have to prepare all at once. Even one small step today can make a difference.

💙 The Matrix understands the unique challenges many families face before and after a storm. Depending on conditions and available resources, we may be able to assist with:

🔋 Phone charging access
🔌 Backup charging devices
🧊 Emergency ice for medications and food preservation
📞 Resource referrals and community connections
🏠 Information on shelters and available services

We also encourage everyone to take advantage of these FREE preparedness resources provided by Walton County Emergency Management:

📲 Sign up for emergency alerts:
alertwalton.org

🗺️ Know your evacuation zone:
https://bit.ly/WCKnowYourZone

📝 Create your disaster plan:
https://bit.ly/MakeYourDisasterPlan

👏 Thank you to Walton County Emergency Management for helping keep our community informed and prepared.

If you have a neighbor, senior citizen, or vulnerable family member, please check on them before and after severe weather.

Preparedness isn’t about having everything. It’s about doing what you can with what you have.

06/17/2026

🏠 MORE THAN A REFERRAL
Where Community Becomes the Solution

📋 Case Reference:

A local senior couple living on a limited fixed income is currently staying in a motel and may only have enough funds for one or two more nights.

💊 One member of the household relies on medication that must remain refrigerated, creating an added challenge as they face housing instability.

📈 The couple lost their housing after a rent increase made their home unaffordable. They currently have no vehicle and are actively searching for a place to live. Community resources have been explored, and assistance may be available if suitable housing can be secured.

🤝 We’re working to assist where we can, but we’re reaching out to our community for additional leads, resources, and support.

Do you know of:
🏠 An affordable rental?
🔑 A landlord willing to work with seniors?
🛏️ Temporary housing options?
📞 Other resources that may help?

📱 If you can help, text “HOUSING” to 850-307-8100.

❤️ Donate:
https://www.matrixcoc.org/donate

Follow for updates on this case.

06/13/2026

Looking to GIVE BACK or HELP your neighbor...TAKE YOUR PICK

# 🏠 June 2026 Unmet Needs Requests – Housing & Prevention Client Stories

**🆘 CS-001 (Ref: 3487)**

* 🏠 Need: Rental Arrears
* 💲 Amount Needed: $1,325
* 📖 Hardship: Client relocated to the area in February and has been unable to secure employment for several months. Recently obtained a job interview but remains behind on rent due to prolonged unemployment.

**🆘 CS-002 (Ref: 4177)**

* 🏠 Need: Rental Arrears
* 💲 Amount Needed: $1,680
* 📖 Hardship: Household experienced multiple unexpected vehicle repairs and ongoing medical issues requiring frequent travel for appointments. Income has not been sufficient to keep up with housing costs.

**🆘 CS-003 (Ref: 3557)**

* 🏠 Need: Rental Arrears
* 💲 Amount Needed: $1,850
* 📖 Hardship: Loss of employment caused by transportation issues resulted in inability to maintain rent payments.

**🆘 CS-004 (Ref: 5726)**

* 🏠 Need: Rental Arrears
* 💲 Amount Needed: $1,500
* 📖 Hardship: Employment ended, causing a loss of income and resulting in the household falling behind on rent obligations.

**🆘 CS-005 (Ref: 7418)**

* 🏠 Need: Rental Arrears
* 💲 Amount Needed: $1,850
* 📖 Hardship: Sudden loss of primary remote employment due to infrastructure and technical disruptions created a significant reduction in household income, placing housing stability at risk for the client and child.

**🆘 CS-006 (Ref: 4325)**

* 🏠 Need: Rental Arrears
* 💲 Amount Needed: $2,486
* 📖 Hardship: Loss of employment left the client unable to meet rent obligations. Client reports having approximately half of the rent amount available.

**🆘 CS-007 (Ref: 0938)**

* 🏠 Need: Rental Arrears
* 💲 Amount Needed: $2,131
* 📖 Hardship: Client lost employment due to childcare instability after multiple daycare disruptions. Recently started a new work-from-home position but remains behind on housing and household bills.

**🆘 CS-008 (Ref: 7765)**

* 🏠 Need: Rental Arrears
* 💲 Amount Needed: $1,950
* 📖 Hardship: Household recently exited a hotel stay following a domestic violence situation. Missed work due to court appearances and medical issues, creating an anticipated rent shortfall.

**🆘 CS-009 (Ref: 2950)**

* 💡 Need: Past Due Utilities
* 💲 Amount Needed: Amount not listed on assessment
* 📖 Hardship: Single mother of five children, including one child with a disability. Recently started employment and is working to catch up on expenses. Unexpected vehicle costs further strained the household budget.

**🆘 CS-010 (Ref: 7731)**

* 🏠 Need: Rental Arrears
* 💲 Amount Needed: $1,465
* 📖 Hardship: Client reports losing both sources of employment within the past week, resulting in immediate inability to meet rent obligations.

**🆘 CS-011 (Ref: 8686)**

* 🔑 Need: Security Deposit, Water/Sewer Deposit, Electricity Deposit
* 💲 Amount Needed:

* 🔑 Security Deposit: $780
* 💧 Water/Sewer Deposit: $68
* ⚡ Electricity Deposit: $370
* 💲 Total Deposits Needed: $1,218
* 📖 Hardship: Client fled a severe domestic violence situation and was forced to leave their residence for safety. Household is attempting to establish stable housing after emergency relocation.

# 📊 Summary

* 🏠 Rental Arrears Requests: 9 households
* 💡 Past Due Utility Requests: 1 household
* 🔑 Security/Utility Deposit Requests: 1 household
* 💲 Estimated Financial Need: Over $17,500

# ❤️ How You Can Help

These are just a few of the housing and prevention needs currently on file with Matrix C.O.C. for June 2026. While client information has been anonymized, the needs are real and represent families and individuals in our community who are facing housing instability, utility disconnection, and barriers to obtaining safe housing.

🌐 Donate Online:
[www.matrixcoc.org/donate]

📞 To learn how you can help a family directly, sponsor a housing stabilization need, or discuss other ways to support our community:

850-307-8100

🤝 Together, we can help keep families housed, utilities connected, and our neighbors moving toward stability.

06/11/2026

A huge THANK YOU to Eglin Federal Credit Union for welcoming Matrix Community Outreach Center, Inc. as a Select Employee Group (SEG)!

This partnership means our employees are now eligible for Eglin FCU membership and the many financial products, services, and resources available through one of our region’s most trusted financial institutions.

We are grateful for the opportunity to offer this added benefit to our team and appreciate Eglin FCU’s continued investment in strengthening our local communities.

Thank you, Eglin FCU, for supporting organizations like ours and helping create more opportunities for the people who serve our community every day.

Welcome, new Select Employee Groups (SEGs)! Our Field of Membership continues to grow as employees of these organizations are now eligible for Eglin FCU membership.

Local business owners, if you would like to offer Eglin FCU membership as a benefit to your employees, please fill out a petition for membership at eglinfcu.org/seg. Subject to approval by NCUA and the Eglin FCU Board of Directors.

Insured by NCUA

06/11/2026

🐷 DOUBLE THE IMPACT 🐷

Want to support a great cause but don’t really need a Boston Butt? Here’s your chance to turn one purchase into support for TWO local efforts.

Reserve a Boston Butt through Main Street DeFuniak Springs’ Faith Factor fundraiser, then choose to donate it to the Matrix Community Outreach Center’s Fishes & Loaves Food Pantry. We’ll be picking up donated Boston Butts during Saturday’s event and putting them to good use helping local families facing food insecurity.

It’s what we’re calling a “Double Impact Donation” one purchase that supports Faith Factor while also helping stock the pantry for neighbors in need.

Main Street has already shared that several people have participated, and we’d love to see even more join in.

✅ Support Faith Factor
✅ Support the Fishes & Loaves Food Pantry
✅ Help feed local families

Not a pork eater? Don’t need another Boston Butt in the freezer? This is a simple way to make your purchase go even further.

To reserve your Boston Butt:

📱 Text: (850) 520-0831
📧 Email: [email protected]

Thank you to Main Street DeFuniak Springs for making this opportunity possible and to everyone choosing to make a Double Impact Donation!

06/10/2026

MORE THAN A REFERRAL
Where Community Becomes the Solution

Case Reference:

A recent referral brought to our attention a local senior facing unsafe living conditions due to a serious sanitation issue within the home. The situation is further complicated by food insecurity, transportation barriers, and concerns about long-term housing stability.

Referrals have been made and available resources explored, but like many situations, the need extends beyond what traditional programs can easily address.

We're working to assist where we can and are reaching out to our community for additional support, resources, ideas, and connections.

If you can help address the sanitation issue, provide resources, offer expertise, donate materials, or know someone who may be able to assist, we'd love to hear from you.

Because sometimes the solution isn't found in a program it's found in a community willing to come together and help.

📞 To help, text "Sanitation" to 850-307-8100

❤️ Donate:
https://www.matrixcoc.org/donate

06/06/2026

❤️🔨 HEARTS & HAMMERS COMMUNITY IMPACT DAY 🔨❤️

What an incredible day of service, partnership, and community!

A huge shout out to the amazing volunteers who showed up today from the homeowner’s church, community members, and contractors who gave their time, talents, tools, and sweat to help make this project a success. Because of your willingness to step up, an incredible amount of work was accomplished in a single day.

Projects like this remind us what can happen when a community comes together around a common purpose. Every board removed, every load hauled away, every wall opened up, and every hour volunteered brought this family one step closer to a safer and healthier home.

We also want to thank everyone who helped spread the word, shared the event, donated, and supported the effort behind the scenes. It truly takes a village.

Today wasn’t about any one organization. It was about neighbors helping neighbors and a community coming together to restore more than a home, it was about restoring hope.

Thank you to everyone who answered the call and made a difference. We couldn’t be more grateful. ❤️🏠 Be on the lookout for future opportunities to help with this project and others.

06/05/2026

Because of the incredible support of the The St. Joe Community Foundation, Inc., hundreds of local students and their families received the resources, support, and opportunities they needed to succeed during the 2025-2026 school year.

Through the Generation Next Program, we were able to serve 533 students, provide thousands of essential items, and help ensure that children experiencing homelessness, hardship, and other barriers had access to the support they needed to stay engaged in school and focused on their future.

The impact of this partnership extends far beyond the numbers. It represents hope, encouragement, confidence, and opportunity for children throughout our community.

🗣 Student Testimonial

“The clothes, school supplies, and help with school were awesome, but the best part was feeling like I belonged. For the first time in a long time, I felt like people actually cared about me and wanted me to succeed.”
Generation Next Student, Age 16

On behalf of the students, families, and communities we serve, thank you to the St. Joe Community Foundation for investing in our youth and helping us build brighter futures one child at a time.

Together, we are changing lives and building futures.

06/05/2026

🚨 LAST CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS 🚨

Tomorrow is our Hearts & Hammers community workday, and we still need volunteers!

We’re coming together to help a local senior couple in DeFuniak Springs with much-needed cleanup and restoration work on their home. The more helping hands we have, the more we can accomplish for this deserving family.

Whether you can give a few hours or the entire morning, your help will make a difference.

📅 Tomorrow, June 6
⏰ 7:30 AM
📍 DeFuniak Springs

Please share this post and help us spread the word.

📱 To sign up, text “HEARTS & HAMMERS” to 850-307-8100.

❤️ Helping restore a home. Helping restore hope.