Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille on Sanibel donated $7,500 to the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation. The money will go toward their camp for high school students.
The money was raised during the restaurant’s inaugural National Yucatán Shrimp Day 7K race and was earmarked to the Sanibel Sea School’s popular “A Week in the Field” program.
“We are happy to support the foundation and the Sea School in inspiring our next generation of environmental scientists and advocates,” said Joe Harrity, a partner with HM Restaurant Group, which owns and operates Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille. “Students gain valuable research experience as well as insight into our unique coastal ecosystems and the conservation foundation’s important work.”
The Sanibel restaurant sponsored the race in celebration of National Yucatán Shrimp Day, expanding the traditional 5K format by two kilometers in honor of the seven ingredients in Doc Ford’s proprietary Yucatán sauce. Founded in 2020, the May 24 event attracted over 350 participants.
A free application-based camp that fills fast, “A Week in the Field” is designed to kindle a passion for environmental research for 13- to 15-year-old participants. The program, held July 21 to 25, immerses students in conservation and research along the shores of Sanibel Island. Teens work with the foundation’s scientists to analyze and gather data and gain hands-on experience in field techniques and research methods. Activities include digging in the mud of a mangrove forest, surveying shorebirds, sampling water quality, measuring oysters and searching for turtle nests on the beach.