Helene devastated Tampa Bay like no storm in more than a century. In Pinellas County alone, more than 19,000 homes were damaged and 11 people died. In Hillsborough, floods damaged and destroyed homes on Davis Islands, Apollo Beach, near the Hillsborough River in Tampa and elsewhere. Anna Maria Island in Manatee and coastal areas of Pasco and Citrus, including some areas still recovering from Idalia, took a hard hit. Many residents lost everything and many businesses face an uncertain future.
Across Tampa Bay, nonprofits and community groups have mobilized for the relief and recovery effort.
Community Foundation Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Rapid Response Fund, critical needs list
Community Foundation Tampa Bay has activated its Tampa Bay Rapid Response Fund and put $1.2 million toward its nonprofits' critical needs list to help with short-term relief and long-term recovery.
“We’re concerned about the immediate need...but we also realize there is a long game to this,” says Community Foundation Senior Vice President, Community Impact Jesse Coraggio.
The
Rapid Response Fund distributes money to front-line nonprofits to help them provide emergency food, shelter, clothing, medical treatment and meet other needs. It provides funding to help fix storm-related damage to facilities and vehicles that hinder the delivery of services to the community. It also goes toward more long-term recovery efforts. The fund starts with approximately $1 million on hand as it goes active to begin accepting donations and making grants.
The
critical needs list is a resource for nonprofits to share the most pressing needs related to their own recovery from the storm and meeting the increase in community need.
“We have nonprofit organizations that have been impacted directly,” Coraggio says. “We have nonprofits whose offices have flooded. Some have lost transportation vehicles. We also focus on nonprofit organizations working to help individuals impacted by the hurricane. Their requests for services have increased dramatically.”
The list is regularly updated. Some current needs include repairs to reentry and foster homes, flood damage to nonprofits' offices and providing community members impacted by the storm with mental health services, food, shelter and clothing.
Community Foundation Tampa Bay provides a one-to-three match for any Community Foundation donor-advised fund or family foundation grants to the critical needs list. The maximum is a $5,000 match for a $15,000 contribution. A portion of the $1.2 million Community Foundation Tampa Bay has committed will go toward those matching grants.
For more information, go to Community Foundation Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay Resiliency Fund
A regional partnership has activated the Tampa Bay Resiliency Fund to support nonprofits’ on-the-ground relief work, their own recovery from storm damage and impacts and more long-term community response efforts.
The TBRF is a collaboration between Allegany Franciscan Ministries, Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, Pinellas Community Foundation and United Way Suncoast. It directs donations from individuals and organizations to nonprofit groups actively involved in disaster relief efforts and recovery and to nonprofits impacted by the storm. The first $250,000 in donations to the TBRF will be matched dollar for dollar.
The partner organizations collaborate and pool resources to swiftly identify needs and provide financial support to nonprofits addressing the widespread effects of the disaster. Pinellas Community Foundation is the fiscal agent for the fund.
“Many of our families living in coastal areas have lost everything so the nonprofits we rely upon to create a healthy safety net in the community need some help responding to the increase in need,” Pinellas Community Foundation CEO Duggan Cooley says.
He says the partner organizations have sent out a survey to nonprofits asking for details on the damage they’ve sustained and how they are helping residents recover.
“We will use that information to make some immediate grants,” Cooley says.
In the early days of the response, Reach St. Pete, a nonprofit that operates a mobile grocery service out of a bus, has received funding to deliver food and supplies. Coogan says the partners meet every two days and more grants are coming this week. The partners are also looking at more long-term needs and helping nonprofits prepare for future response efforts following a storm.
Like Community Foundation Tampa Bay’s critical needs list and rapid response fund, the Tampa Bay Resiliency Fund started in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and shifted to support community response efforts after natural disasters such as Helene.
For more information, go to TBRF
Feeding Tampa Bay emergency relief distribution
The day after Helene, Feeding Tampa Bay launched emergency relief distribution events at its new Causeway Center headquarters in Tampa and in hard-hit areas of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando and Manatee. CEO and President Thomas Mantz says the short-term priority is providing water and non-perishable food like MREs and snacks to people who have lost power or been displaced from their homes. The nonprofit is also distributing pet food. Dine-in hot meals are also available at the Bistro at Causeway Center.
As of October 2nd, Feeding Tampa Bay had provided 725,000 meals through post-storm distribution sites and 2,500 cooked meals to first responders, neighbors, and group homes who have needed assistance in the wake of Helene.
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Feeding Tampa BayThe day after Helene, Feeding Tampa Bay launched emergency relief distribution events in hard-hit areas.As time passes, Feeding Tampa Bay will distribute groceries to help restock refrigerators for people who need to put their money toward fixing their homes. Mantz says when the attention on Helene dies down, Feeding Tampa Bay will stay in communities where resources are needed. He says the nonprofit can use donations to meet the increased need. Feeding Tampa Bay has put out an urgent call for more volunteers, particularly to help the relief effort in Manatee County.
“The thing about a storm is we have a whole new set of people who need our help,” Mantz says.
For more information on where to find help and how to volunteer or donate, go to Feeding Tampa Bay Helene
Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay mobilizes
On Wednesday, October 2nd, Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay distributes hurricane relief kits, MREs and water on a first come, first served basis at the Lealman Exchange Community Center, 5175 45th St. N. The event runs from noon until supplies run out.
Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay CEO José Garcia says right now the nonprofit’s focus is roof tarping to protect homes from more damage. Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay installs tarps at no cost to homeowners. The nonprofit works with organizations like the Home Depot Foundation to get donated supplies and with roofers to get discount prices on installations, Garcia says. With that assistance, the group helps more homeowners. Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay is also accepting applications for its post-disaster roof and home repairs program.
For more information, go to Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay.
For a list of needed supplies and ways to donate, go to RTTB donations
Juvenile Welfare Board relief events
The Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County has hurricane relief events at three locations in St. Petetrsbutg on Friday, October 4th: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Enoch Davis Center, 1111 18th Ave. S.; 2:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. at Rivera Bay Park, 8131 Macoma Dr. NE.; and 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Northside Baptist Church, 6000 38th Ave. N.
Nonperishable food, drinks, water, Chick-fil-A meals, produce, snacks, wipes, cleaning supplies, pet supplies, diapers, hygiene items, household goods and more will be available.
For more information, go to Juvenile Welfare Board Pinellas
Salvation Army at Gandy Civic Association
The Salvation Army Tampa Area Command’s Emergency Disaster Mobile Canteen is at the Gandy Civic Association, 4207 W. Oklahoma Ave. in Tampa, from noon to 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 3rd and Friday, October 4th to serve lunch and dinner and provide hydration to individuals and families in the South Tampa area impacted by Helene. The Salvation Army will also distribute permits and tarps from City of Tampa.
Salvation Army also regularly updates its
list of feeding sites
Catholic Charities hurricane relief in New Port Richey
Catholic Charities, Diocese of St. Petersburg has a hurricane relief assistance center at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in New Port Richey from Thursday, October 3rd through Sunday, October 16th.
Free services include an on-site medical team with four doctors, two nurses and a pharmacist. There are laundry and shower stations. Catholic Charities is distributing water, MREs, clean-up and toiletry kits, baby food and diapers, children’s activity kits and insect repellant.
For more information, go to Catholic Charities
Local government information
The cities of Tampa and St. Petersburg have web pages with regular updates and information on the response to Helene.
Tampa’s web page and
St. Pete’s page have information on storm debris and regular solid waste collection schedules, how to apply to federal relief programs, how to self-report damage, the locations of community cooling stations, charities providing community relief, free laundry services and how to avoid contractor scams. St. Pete also has information on a free bus fare program in partnership with PSTA that lasts through October 13th.
Tampa and
St. Pete also regularly post Facebook updates on food and supply distribution and sites offering hot meals.
Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa have opened six comfort stations to help people impacted by Helene: Marjorie Park Marina, Desoto Park and Skyway Sports Complex and Park in Tampa; Sandy Perrone Park in Town N’ Country, Ruskin Park and Recreation Center and Apollo Beach Park and Recreation Center.
The comfort stations offer showers, restrooms, ice, washers and dryers for laundry, and charging stations for phones, laptops and other communications devices. Hot food or boxed meals are available at lunch and dinner.
For more information, go to Hillsborough County comfort stations
For those looking to donate supplies, personal hygiene items and nonperishable food to residents hit hard by Helene, Pinellas County government has a
web page with drop-off locations and accepted items.
AMPLIFY Hope launches to help hard-hit Clearwater businesses, residents
AMPLIFY Clearwater’s nonprofit wing, the Clearwater Chamber Foundation, has launched AMPLIFY Hope, a community fundraising initiative to provide financial support to businesses and residents hardest hit by the storm. Donations to AMPLIFY Hope will fund recovery grants to help Clearwater business operations, repair damaged infrastructure and regain stability in the wake Helene. Donations will go directly to local businesses and residents to help them rebuild, restock and reopen. Money will also go directly to hard hit Clearwater residents and families to help them recover.
"Our local business owners are the backbone of this community," AMPLIFY Clearwater President/CEO Amanda Payne says in a press release. "They’ve not only contributed to the economic vibrancy of Clearwater, but they’ve also fostered a sense of community. Now, they need us to stand by them in their greatest time of need."
For more information, go to AMPLIFY Hope
Clearwater Marine Aquarium seeks donation
Clearwater Marine Aquarium is seeking donations to replace crucial equipment destroyed by Hurricane Helene. Life support systems, lab equipment, laundry machines, air compressors and other essential tools were lost or damaged in the storm.
For more information on how to donate or purchase a needed item, go to CMA Helene wish
Gulfport Merchants Chamber of Commerce seeks donations, volunteers
The Gulfport Merchants Chamber of Commerce and City of Gulfport are seeking volunteers and donations of supplies for its Helene relief effort. Donations of water, cleaning supplies, rubber gloves, toiletries, hand sanitizer, first aid supplies, towels, sheets, non-perishable food, work gloves, brooms and squeegees can be dropped off at the Gulfport Senior Center through October 7th.
The Gulfport Merchants Chamber also needs volunteers to support its relief efforts at the Catherine Hickman Theatre and Gulfport Multipurpose Senior Center.
The Gulfport Merchants Chamber also has regular
Facebook posts about restaurants and food trucks offering free meals.
For more information, go to Visit Gulfport
Metropolitan Ministries hot meal sites, relief event
Metropolitan Ministries and its community partners have 41 hot meal sites in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties. There are in hard-hit Pinellas, the nonprofit says.
Metropolitan Ministries has a hurricane relief event at Hudson High School, 14410 Cobra Way in Hudson, at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 2nd. Three hundred food boxes will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Clothing and hygiene items will also be available at the Hudson Community Health and Resource Center, which is located at the school complex.
For more information, go to Metropolitan Ministries and Metropolitan meal sites
Crisis Cleanup hotline
Nonprofit Crisis Cleanup has activated its hotline for people who need help cleaning up damage from Helene.
The hotline connects people with volunteers from local relief organizations, community groups and faith organizations who can assist with cutting fallen trees, tarping roofs, cleaning up flooding damage and debris and mold mitigation. All services are free, but service is not guaranteed. This hotline will remain open through Friday, Oct. 11, 2024.
For more information, go to Hurricane Helene cleanup hotline or call (844) 965-1386
OneBlood asks for donations
Regional blood bank OneBlood has issued a call for blood and platelet donations. While all blood types are needed, there is urgent need for donations of platelets and O-positive and O-negative blood.
"The majority of OneBlood’s service area is operational," Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications and Public Relations Susan Forbes says in a press release. "Our donor centers are open and the Big Red Buses are out in force for blood drives. We are urging people who are eligible to donate blood or platelets to please do so as soon as possible."
For more information on donor centers and blood drives, go to OneBlood