The ninth annual Sip & Sample wine and appetizer event is to be held on Thursday, November 15 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at The Village Shops on Venetian Bay. The annual event will benefit Friends of Foster Children Forever (FFCF) and their vital educational and mentoring programs for local foster children.

The event, made possible by the generosity of The Village Shops on Venetian Bay, will feature complimentary samplings of appetizers and drinks from the restaurants’ award winning menus. The high-end designer boutiques will also be participating in the event, offering tasty treats, beverages, and in-store promotions while shopping their much-desired merchandise.

From Thursday, November 15 through Sunday, November 18, ten percent of all sales from collected receipts will benefit FFCF to support local foster children. Shoppers are asked to drop sales receipts in drop boxes located on the south side of The Village near Pratt’s Shoe Salon or on the north side near Panache.

The merchants at The Village Shops on Venetian Bay collaborate each year to raise money to benefit foster children in our community and ask that attendees purchase a “Passport” for the event. Sip and Sample passports allow travel from shop to shop and restaurant to restaurant where attendees can enjoy international wines, appetizers and more.

Sip & Sample passports may be purchased online at www.friendsoffosterchildren.net for $40 per person in advance and $50 on the night of the event. Reservations are suggested. In case of rain, an alternate date has been set for Friday, November 16, 2018.

The FFCF mission is to focus on the children they serve by providing targeted educational and enrichment opportunities that allow each child to fulfill his or her potential. The charitable organization works to fulfill the unmet needs of every child who enters or, is at risk of entering the foster care system in Collier, Hendry and Glades Counties.

For more information about Friends of Foster Children of Forever (FFCF) or how to help, visit www.friendsoffosterchildren.net or call (239) 262–1808.