When Florida was devastated by Hurricane Ian on September 28, 2022, donors, giving circles, community members, businesses, and even residents of other states reached out to support the Manatee Community Foundation Disaster Relief Fund.

Thanks to a 1:1 match from the Bishop Parker Foundation, the first $75,000 in gifts were doubled. The Knight Donor Advised Fund of Manatee Community Foundation also awarded $75,000 to relief efforts. In total, more than $345,000 was raised to immediately counter the devastating effect of Hurricane Ian, with 34 grants awarded to date.

A few examples of those helped by MCF’s Disaster Relief Fund:

• Foster families in need of basic necessities and home repairs (Bridge A Life and Safe Children’s Coalition)
• Elementary students, families and faculty in one of the hardest hit areas in Manatee County (Myakka City Elementary School)
• Residents of color seeking resources and access to health care (Multicultural Health Institute)
• Families of individuals with disabilities for unmet needs (Easterseals of Southwest Florida)
• Grandparents caring for grandchildren needing replacement food after loss of power (Manatee Children’s Services)
• Families with young children requiring assistance to replace furniture, clothing, household goods, and transportation (Mothers Helping Mothers)
• College students needing food, replacement technology, and home repair (State College of Florida Foundation)
• Working, low-income families living paycheck-to-paycheck impacted by lost wages and food spoilage during power outages (Step Up Suncoast)
• Residents of Myakka City and east county with hard-to-obtain clean up supplies like duct tape, contractor bags and gloves (Giving Alliance of Myakka City)

To learn more about ongoing needs in Manatee County and beyond, and how the Foundation can be a resource for your giving, call 941-747-7765.