Hurricane Milton Update & Resources

In the middle of helping the community recover from Helene, Tampa Bay’s nonprofits, community organizations and volunteers have expanded their relief work after Hurricane Milton delivered a second hit to the region. Across the Bay Area, there are ways to get help or help out with short-term relief efforts and more long-term recovery.

Supporting nonprofits that support the community

Community Foundation Tampa Bay’s critical needs list  compiles nonprofits’ most pressing needs related to their own recovery from the storm and the increased community need for services. It is regularly updated and offers an easy way for nonprofits to ask the community for critical financial support and for community members to donate to a specific nonprofit.

“This list is the community’s list,” says Community Foundation Tampa Bay Senior Vice President, Community Impact Jesse Coraggio. “It’s a way for them to really get out there what the needs are. Obviously, with a crisis like this the immediate need is the initial relief from these storms. But this is not something we are going to be over in a few weeks. The long-term implications of this are really where we’re going to have our issues. There are people who don’t have homes to go back to or have damaged homes and are trying to survive day to day. There are going to be more long-term workforce issues because some small businesses will take months to recover. Some may never recover.”

As of October 15th, the critical needs list has requests from nearly 70 nonprofits totaling approximately $2.7 million. Tampa Jewish Family Services, Healthy Start Coalition of Hillsborough County, Redlands Christian Migrant Association, the Area Agency on Aging Pasco-Pinellas, St. Petersburg Free Clinic, Seniors in Service of Tampa Bay and Community Food Bank of Citrus County are some of the groups seeking funds for food distribution and other community relief efforts. 

Other nonprofits are grappling with significant storm damage. Mary and Martha House Inc. seeks money to repair its emergency women’s shelter. Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco needs money for emergency home repairs. Shepherd’s Village, a Pinellas nonprofit housing single mothers and their children, is another organization that needs funds to repair a building that houses or serves a vulnerable population. Clearwater Marine Aquarium and Seaside Seabird Sanctuary both suffered significant damage from Helene’s storm surge and coastal flooding.

Coraggio expects by the end of this week 32 grants totaling $681,000 will be helping the community response. That includes $100,000 to Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay. Reach Services, a Pinellas nonprofit that delivers groceries, water and household supplies in a 40-foot bus converted into a mobile grocery store has received a grant. So have the Mary and Martha House, Community Food Bank of Citrus and Bay Area Legal Services.

For more information, go to  Community Foundation Tampa Bay hurricane relief

Activated after Helene to support nonprofits’ on-the-ground relief work and their own recovery from storm damage and impacts, the Tampa Bay Resiliency Fund (TBRF) has expanded to meet the growing community needs after Milton.

The TBRF is a collaboration between Allegany Franciscan Ministries, Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, Pinellas Community Foundation and United Way Suncoast. 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.

“By putting the right infrastructure in place ahead of time, we’re able to activate the Fund quickly, ensuring that help reaches those impacted without delay,” Pinellas Community Foundation CEO Duggan Cooley says in a press release. “This rapid response, coupled with long-term recovery efforts, will ensure that families and communities hardest hit are supported every step of the way.”

The TBRF 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 next $200,000 in donations to the TBRF will be matched dollar for dollar.

For more information, go to  Tampa Bay Resiliency Fund

Frontline relief efforts

Except for when Milton was bearing down on the area, Feeding Tampa Bay has had daily food and emergency distribution sites across the region since the day after Helene hit. The daily schedule is posted on the Feeding Tampa Bay Facebook page .

Feeding Tampa Bay FacebookFeeding Tampa Bay needs volunteers for its disaster relief distribution events. The nonprofit also urgently needs volunteers to support relief distribution events. As of October 15th, Feeding Tampa Bay has distributed nearly 2.3 million meals between 79 emergency distribution events in hard-hit areas and its daily events.

For more information, go to  Feeding Tampa Bay disaster relief

Metropolitan Ministries has emergency hot meals and bagged lunches available through its community partner locations in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas. The nonprofit is also adding locations to meet the increased need from the storms A daily list of locations is posted on Metropolitan Ministries Facebook page .

For more information, go to  Metropolitan Ministries resources 

The Salvation Army’s Emergency Disaster Relief Services has brought in nine additional feeding units to provide food, drinks and emergency supplies in hard-hit areas of Pinellas, West Pasco and Hillsborough. This week, the nonprofit also established Milton relief service locations in Wimauma, Plant City, Valrico and multiple spots in Tampa. There are also locations at the Pasco County Fairgrounds and in Lakeland.

For more information, go to  Salvation Army Milton relief 

Milton brought devastating flooding to the University Area of North Tampa after a power outage at Hillsborough County's Duck Pond pump station, one of the county’s largest, severely limited the ability to drain stormwater from the low-lying areas of the neighborhood. 

The University Area Community Redevelopment Corporation (UACDC), a nonprofit that works to improve the quality of life in at-risk neighborhoods near the University of South Florida through education, housing, healthcare, recreation and social services, has launched a relief fund to help families and residents hit by Milton. Immediate needs include temporary housing for families displaced by flooding and storm damage, food and essential supplies and assistance with FEMA paperwork. 

In collaboration with community partners, the UACDC is also providing meals, water, children’s clothing, baby supplies, hygiene items, medical aid and shower stations with toiletries and its Harvest Hope Park. There is an essential supplies distribution event from noon to 2 p.m. on October 16th. At noon on October 18th, Operation BBQ Relief is providing 2,000 free meals.

For more information, go to  UACDC disaster aid

Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay is accepting applications for its post-disaster roof and home repairs program. The nonprofit has also organized hurricane relief kit distribution events. In partnership with the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, ToolBank, Sunshine Health and Farm Share there is a relief kit giveaway event from noon to 6 p.m. on October 18th at the Children’s Board’s Central Tampa Family Resource Center, 1002 E. Palm Ave.

For more information go to  Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay

Arts recovery resources

Creative Pinellas has changed its major fundraising event, the Arts Annual exhibition and fundraiser, into a fundraiser to help the arts community recover from Helene and Milton. Eighty percent of the proceeds from the event will go to Pinellas County artists and arts organizations impacted by the storms. Initially scheduled for November 9th, Arts Annual is being rescheduled.

Creative Pinellas, which is closed for repairs until October 29th, will also offer free workspaces to artists, creatives and staff of cultural organizations when it reopens. The workspaces have WiFi and there are meeting spaces and a break room.

The county’s nonprofit arts agency also has comprehensive list of recovery resources available to artists and arts organizations and has partnered with Studios@5663 in Pinellas Patk, the Dunedin Fine Art Center, the Warehouse Arts District, freeFall Theatre and FloridaRAMA on a donation drive collecting cleaning and pet supplies.

For more information, go to  Creative Pinellas hurricane relief

The Tampa Arts Alliance has also complied a list of the recovery resources  available for artists and arts organizations.

Education foundation fundraising drives

Hillsborough Education Foundation has launched a fundraising drive to replace furniture and supplies at two Title I elementary schools damaged by Helene. The storm destroyed rugs, chairs, floor mats, books, backpacks and other supplies. Hillsborough Education Foundation also plans to provide backpacks filled with supplies to 400 students across the district who are in critical need and lost their supplies due to the storm. 

For more information, go to  Hillsborough Education Foundation

Pinellas Education Foundation has launched a fundraiser to supply students, teachers, and district employees with materials and items to rebuild their classrooms. Two Pinellas County schools - Madeira Beach Fundamental and Gulf Beaches Elementary, have been indefinitely shut down due to damage from Helene.

For more information, go to  Pinellas Education Foundation