The 2024 Taste of the Island charity event in Orange Beach was a success Friday night as hundreds of people showed up to deliver holiday cheer.

The event, held at the Orange Beach Event Center, was sponsored by the Mystics of Pleasure, Baldwin County Benevolent Fund and Krewe de Swan.

Around 30 Gulf Coast restaurants competed for a vote with their signature dishes and drinks. The Fuego Show Band provided the entertainment as partygoers took to the dance floor.

Mystics of Pleasure board member Austin Tanner said the charity event benefits Toys for Tots and local children in need.

“We are a party organization for Mardi Gras for sure, but our other passion is to give back to the community and our entire organization loves to do that,” said Tanner. “This is just one of the many organizations we support. We also support the Christian Service Center.”

This year was the 16th year the event supported Toys for Tots.

Toys for Tots began in 1947 as the brain child of Marine Corps Reserve Major Bill Hendricks. Actually it was his wife, Diane, who was the real inspiration. She had a few handcrafted dolls and asked Bill to deliver them to an agency that supports children in need.

When Bill reported back to his wife that he could not find such an organization, she instructed him to “start one!”. Maj Hendricks and the Marines in his reserve unit in Los Angeles collected and distributed 5,000 toys in 1947.

Since 2001 ranked as one of the top rated charities by “Philanthropy 400”