• Hurricane Ian tore through the western coast of Florida on Wednesday with 150 mph winds and driving rainfall before making its way across the state and heading into the Atlantic Ocean. Hundreds if not thousands of residences and businesses were destroyed in its wake, leaving behind more than 2.6 million without power, homes, livelihoods, and hope. 

     

    If you are looking for a way to help, these are just a few of the organizations already on the ground assisting Floridians all across the state as they begin to rebuild their lives.

     

    Florida Disaster Fund 

    Florida’s official disaster relief fund coordinates aid across governmental and nongovernmental organizations in the state. You can donate here.

     

    Hope Heroes

    First Lady Casey DeSantis announced the deployment of Hope Heroes, the volunteer team she assembled as part of her Hope Florida – A Pathway to Purpose initiative in partnership with the Florida Department of Elder Affairs, to support older Floridians who have been impacted by Hurricane Ian. The Hope Heroes will be deployed to Charlotte and Lee counties. This comes on the heels of the First Lady’s announcement Friday that the Florida Disaster Fund has distributed more than $1 million in grants to relief organizations engaged in Hurricane Ian recovery efforts.

    To become a Hope Hero, visit helpcreatehope.com. To contribute to the Florida Disaster Fund, please visit www.FloridaDisasterFund.org or text DISASTER to 20222.

     

    Realtor® Relief Fund / Disaster Relief Fund

    The National Association of Realtors® has a Realtor® Relief Fund and the Florida Realtors has a Disaster Relief Fund for these specific needs.  In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, NAR has sent Realtor Relief funds to FR to assist with the Disaster Relief Fund requests received from Florida REALTORS®, real estate employees, boards/associations, and staff.  The purpose is to provide immediate relief without bureaucracy or paperwork.  The administrative costs to administer the Realtor Relief Fund and the FR Disaster Relief Fund are absorbed by NAR and FR!  The FR Disaster Relief Fund is available for individual applications and Brokerage applications.  Applicants must be a member of the Realtor® family prior to the disaster and whose home or real estate office has sustained serious physical and/or structural damage including but not limited to water intrusion.

     

    If you or your friends want to donate to the Disaster Relief Fund you can send a check or use a credit card directly with FR.  You can also contribute to our newly established 901 C 3 Board Foundation.   The Board will also consider a donation to the Disaster Relief Fund at its next Board meeting.  You do not have to be a Realtor family to donate funds to the Disaster Relief Fund or our Board Foundation.  Any member of the public may contribute.

     

    The link for the individual and Brokerage applications can be found by going to www.floridarealtors.org and clicking on the bright red banner at the top of that page.

     

  • Feeding Florida:

    Feeding Florida is a network of the national food bank nonprofit Feeding America. The organization is coordinating with food banks across the state to provide food to victims of the hurricane. You can donate here. 

     

    Farm Share

    Farm Share is a Florida nonprofit that sources leftover fruits and vegetables from farms and distributes them to people across the state. The organization said it was sending truckloads of food and supplies to Floridians and asks people to donate here.

     

    Convoy of Hope

    This Missouri-based nonprofit is delivering supplies to Hurricane Ian victims. Its donation page outlines what your donation amount can cover for a family. For example, $15 creates “a family hygiene kit.” You can donate here. 

     

    CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) 

    CORE is a global disaster relief organization that began its work by helping victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The nonprofit said it was providing support to people of Florida. You can donate here. 

     

    Dream Defenders – Community Emergency Operation Center 

    This nonprofit is collecting food and supplies to deliver to hurricane victims. It is run by Dream Defenders, a Florida nonprofit supporting Black and Brown young people across the state. You can donate here. 

     

    The American Red Cross

    The Red Cross is looking for Volunteers to help the victims directly. You can sign up to do so here. 

     

  • Team Rubicon

    Team Rubicon is a disaster relief group composed of military veterans, with a focus on serving “underserved or economically-challenged communities.” The organization is raising funds to support its work in Florida. You can donate here.

     

    Feeding Tampa Bay

    Feeding Tampa Bay provides food to almost 1 million food-insecure families in west central Florida. The group’s disaster readiness team is “FEMA trained and prepared to handle disaster situations.” You can donate here.

     

    World Central Kitchen

    World Central Kitchen, started by chef Jose Andres, provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate and community crises. The group said it has people staged across Florida, so its relief team can begin serving meals to those who need them as soon as Hurricane Ian passes. You can donate here. 

     

    CDP Atlantic Hurricane Season Recovery Fund

    This fund “supports initiatives that prioritize communities devastated by Atlantic hurricanes, especially those facing systemic barriers to equitable recovery,” according to the organization’s website. You can donate here.

     

    Good360

    Nonprofit Good360 is providing relief and recovery in response to Hurricane Ian, mobilizing on the ground forces in Florida cities including Miami, Jacksonville and Tampa. The organizers say they plan to focus on both long- and short-term needs for care and clean-up, providing water, tarps, non-perishable foods, hygiene kits, blankets, and mold remediation products. You can donate here. 

     

    Mercy Chefs

    Mercy Chefs is on the ground in Fort Myers, Florida serving meals to those tragically affected by Hurricane Ian. This is one of the worst hurricanes ever to make landfall in the United States, and we are prepared now more than ever to do all that we can to serve hope in the form of a meal. You can donate here. 

     

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    How to avoid charity scams

    • Determine whether the organization, nonprofit or group has a proven track record of delivering aid to those in need.
    • Identify local initiatives and efforts that are based within the areas most affected by the natural disaster.
    • Beware of phone calls and emails soliciting donations.
    • Avoid unfamiliar agencies and websites. There is a history of scammers creating websites that look like donation pages after a major tragedy, but in reality were scams.