Sarasota nonprofits relieved, but recovering

Some woke up Monday morning relieved. The most dire of forecasts failed to come to fruition.

Hurricane Irma traveled about 40 miles east of Sarasota late Sunday night as a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 100 mph.

Still, even in the midst of relief, for some Monday was the beginning of a much longer process — recovery.

The distinction between relief and recovery is one charitable organizations made early in the wake of the storm. Although Irma’s impact was less than anticipated, it still affected the lives of many in the Sarasota area.

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County opened two funds on Sept. 8 in preparation for Hurricane Irma’s Florida landfall — the Sarasota County Disaster Relief Fund and the Hurricane Irma Relief Fund.

However, after Irma passed through the Sunshine State, the Community Foundation changed the name of the latter fund to The Hurricane Irma Relief and Recovery Fund.

“We want to stress that relief will not necessarily be short term,” Community Foundation Communications and Marketing Manager Murray Devine said. “Recovery is more long term.”

The fund will be dispersed among the foundation’s partner nonprofits and others affected by Hurricane Irma, with an emphasis on local needs. But the Community Foundation isn’t alone in its efforts.

The Patterson Foundation has donated $250,000 to the recovery and relief fund. The Community Foundation is also coordinating relief efforts with leaders at the Gulf Coast Community Foundation and the William G. and Marie Selby Community Foundation.

Senior Vice President of Community Investment John Annis said in the days that follow, the foundation will be assessing need. Many nonprofits lost power or suffered structural damage and are assessing their own needs and the needs of those they serve.

“Stay tuned,” Annis said. “We put a hold on all of our regular business. This has become a priority for us.”

In the meantime, donors and residents leapt to assist their neighbors and community.

Annis said one woman in Lakewood Ranch who has already taken in several dogs called Sept. 12 to say she thought she could take another.

“It does make you feel good,” Annis said. “The way this community pulls together … It’s heartwarming to hear the stories.”

The Humane Society of Sarasota County, a Community Foundation partner, set its sights on recovery early. Locally, the Humane Society donated $10,000 to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office Animal Services for the medical needs of its rescues. It is also preparing its shelter for an influx of rescues from throughout the state. Adoption fees were lowered to $10 to clear space, but all of this altruism comes at a cost.

The Humane Society is using money it already received from the Community Foundation to pay the expenses.

Read more about the Humane Society's recovery efforts here. 

“Part of the funding we received from them is for this,” Humane Society Communications Coordinator Nalani Simpson said. “We are just so grateful for them. They are an incredible partner ... and they do so much for our community.”

Meanwhile, at All Faiths Food Bank on Wednesday, volunteers and staff packed boxes with necessities, hoping to address the now-compounded needs of those experiencing food insecurity in Sarasota and surrounding counties.

The food bank emerged from Irma structurally sound, but organizationally shaken.

“Right now we’re depleting our shelves,” All Faiths Food Bank CEO Sandra Frank said. “We’re just packing boxes and sending them out. Eighty-five percent of what we get is donated by retailers. They haven’t been open. So we have lost $80,000 to $90,000 of retail food supplies that people don’t even think about.”

Read more about the Food Bank's recovery efforts here. 

For those, like the Community Foundation and the food bank, the relief of dodging the worst of Hurricane Irma is short lived. Now, they are on to recovery.

“We’re bracing for several months of increased need,” Frank said. “I am thrilled that the foundations of the community have stepped up like this. I think our job is to let people know that the sun is shining, but there is so much to be done. We have only begun. We have only begun on these recovery and relief efforts.”