‘An incredible blessing to the community when something terrible is going on'

Posted

Azhar Mohammed, executive chef of TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse, along with 60 other chefs under his supervision worked for up to 18 hours a day for nine straight days to prepare for this year’s PLAYERS Championship.

 

Then, when the tournament was cancelled after the first day of play, the question arose as to what to do with all the food. The situation, triggered by a coronavirus sweeping the country and precautions being made to keep the public safe, was unprecedented.

Almost immediately, the PGA TOUR had the answer. Representatives reached out to Feeding Northeast Florida, a community food bank that rescues high-quality food that would normally be wasted and transforms it into meals for those in need.

On Friday, when the championship would have normally been in full swing, Mohammed and many of his chefs and other members of the TPC Sawgrass staff waited with carts and boxes and trays of food as a Feeding Northeast Florida tractor trailer backed up to the clubhouse loading bay.

They were joined by five-time PGA TOUR winner Billy Horschel, his wife Brittany and their two daughters, Skylar, 5, and Colbie, 2, who came to help load the food.

“This is an incredible blessing to the community when something terrible is going on,” Susan King, Feeding Northeast Florida executive director said.

“It’s an unfortunate situation that THE PLAYERS is cancelled,” said Horschel, who would have been one of the golfers out on the course. “But all this food will go a long way. It will help a lot of people in this community.”

“We’re helping people, that’s what matters,” Andy Carroll, tournament chairman of this year’s PLAYERS said, as he helped load food wearing his signature Red Coat jacket. “It’s obviously a difficult situation, but out of a difficult situation good will come.”

Billy and Brittany Horschel are Ponte Vedra Beach residents and have been involved with Feeding Northeast Florida since 2014. As an ambassador to the charity, Billy Horschel’s Feeding Northeast Florida donation amounts total more than $250,000 to date.

Two tons of food, worth $60,000, was donated to Feeding Northeast Florida following THE PLAYERS cancellation.

Feeding Northeast Florida works with a network of 160 social service agencies and programs in an eight-county area, including City Rescue Mission, The Sulzbacher Center and The Salvation Army.

“We had a 46,000-square foot warehouse donated to us last year,” King said, “so receiving this food is divine intervention. We can handle this. We are in a unique position because we have the trucks, drivers, routes and storage capacity and we can do it safely.”

After every single food item was loaded, King turned and faced Mohammed and his crew.

“I’m not going to cry, but what you’ve done is so emotional,” King said. “I know you guys have been working insane hours, and I feel blessed we can share this. This food—it’s life-changing for people.”