Lori Joyner and Harvest House–Caring for Neighbors in Need
By Rich Sanders
Lori Joyner fills her days managing hundreds of pounds of groceries, groups of volunteers and dozens of people in need. As Executive Director of the Harvest House in Destin, she is responsible for caring for the poor and needy in Okaloosa County and helping them survive and thrive.
Lori and her family moved to Destin over twenty years ago as a result of divine intervention. “Throughout my walk in life, I surrendered my life to the Lord Jesus and said, ‘Lord, whatever you want me to do, I will do for you. And I didn’t take that lightly.’” After Lori thought about the move for three consecutive days and “just surrendered everything,” and moved to Destin!
After meeting the founder of Harvest House, Jerry Ogle, she fell in love with it and became the Executive Director–three days later! As small business owners, Lori and her husband are great examples of Christian Capitalists, as that business helps her work so diligently on behalf of the poor and needy in our community.
Harvest House has been operating for over forty years, making it one of the oldest Christian non-profit charities on the Emerald Coast. Serving over four hundred families a month today, things keep getting busier. During the government shutdown in the Fall of 2025, demand for assistance spiked, in particular for food after funding for food stamps stalled. Lori and her group of volunteers took it in stride and continued to meet the needs of the people of Okaloosa County.
Harvest House provides all manner of support to those in need, including financial assistance with utilities. While many of the families regularly visit them, Lori also notes that the group of people seeking assistance continues to change and fluctuate with economic conditions… and with the seasons.
The holidays are a very busy time at Harvest House, when hundreds of Thanksgiving and Christmas bags are provided to those in need to help them enjoy the festivities that so many people take for granted. Because many Harvest House clients have seasonal jobs that leave them short on funds and food during the winter months, this is the time of year when Harvest House really leans on the community for support.
This is a particularly challenging time for Harvest House, since it was recently forced to change locations and lost its thrift store, therefore its income, in the process. Lori welcomes any current canned goods, unopened packaged food or toiletry items, and Harvest House is open every weekday for pickup or delivery. Locals get it: grits are one of the most popular items that people request at the Harvest House!
Lori recently appeared on the Christian Capitalist podcast, and you can listen to the entire episode on SOWAL Life’s website. We are excited to share inspirational stories of hard work and generous giving to the poor and needy in the name of Jesus Christ, like Lori Joyner!
Rich Sanders is a pastor, small business owner, retired healthcare attorney and adjunct professor at Emory University, and former intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy. He and his wife, Rebekah, met at church in 1996, have been blessed with three children (James, William and Caroline) and live in Destin with their large golden retriever, Cowboy.
