The Peanut Butter Challenge, UF/IFAS Extension’s annual collection for local food pantries that launched in the Florida Panhandle in 2012, is again spreading statewide this year. The challenge starts Oct. 1 and runs through the entire month. In 2022, citizens of Santa Rosa County (SRC) donated 2,056 jars (for a total of 2,657 pounds) of peanut butter to the SRC challenge.

In addition, community donations, the Florida Peanut Producers Association (FPPA) and Florida Peanut Federation (FPF) have partnered with the project for years. These organizations are based in the northwest and northeast peanut-producing regions of the state and will again contribute to the totals distributed to food pantries in those regions.

Businesses, civic or faith-based organizations interested in collecting peanut butter to support the needs of the community should contact UF/IFAS Extension Santa Rosa County at 850-623-3868 or 850-857-2313.

Current drop locations include:

• All SRC Libraries, Jay, Milton, Pace, Navarre, and Gulf Breeze
• UF/IFAS Extension Offices in Jay at 5259 Booker Ln. and Milton, 6263 Dogwood Dr.
• SRC Administration complexes at 6495 Caroline St. in Milton
• SRC Clerk of Courts at 6495 Caroline St. in Milton
• SRC Chamber of Commerce at 4315 Avalon Blvd. in Milton
• Pace Water System at 4401 Woodbine Rd. in Pace
• Cornerstone Christian Church at 14047 Alabama St. in Jay
• SRC Farm Bureau Offices at 4035 Hwy. 4 in Jay and 4474 Woodbine Rd. in Pace
• United Bank (Jay) at 14038 Alabama St. in Jay
• Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce at 1804 Prado St. in Navarre

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The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.