FORT MYERS, Fla. — As the full picture of the devastation left by Hurricane Ian comes into focus, Floridians and Americans everywhere are coming together to try to help the tens of thousands of people impacted by the storm.
ABC Action News has put together a list of organizations that are working to bring aid to southwest Florida.
American Red Cross
Volunteers have already started arriving in Florida from out of state, and the organization asked for donations to support their efforts. The Red Cross estimated that 13,000 Floridians spent Tuesday night in pre-evacuation shelters run by the Red Cross.
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.”
It works in collaboration with the Tampa Bay area emergency operations centers to provide food, water and hygiene items during disaster relief situations.
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.
It said it had route clearance teams prepared ahead of the hurricane’s land impact to assist with clearing trees and debris from roadways.
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.
They are raising money to support their efforts to feed the communities, the organization said.
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.
It focuses on meeting medium- and long-term needs, like rebuilding homes, funding mental health services, and other challenges communities face in the recovery process.
Florida Disaster Fund
The Florida Disaster Fund is Florida's official private fund that provides financial assistance to cities across the state during emergencies and disasters.
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.
Farm Share
Farm Share is a nonprofit group in Florida that sources leftover fruits and vegetables from farms and distributes them to people across the state. The group told USA Today it was sending truck loads of food and supplies to the impacted areas and asked people to donate on their website.
Florida Disaster Fund
The state of Florida's official disaster relief fund. You can donate to it here.
CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort)
CORE is a global disaster relief organization that started after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The nonprofit said it was going to provide support to Florida. CORE said donations can be made here.
Volunteer Florida
Volunteer Florida put together a list of opportunities for people to volunteer to help victims of the hurricane. The full list can be found here.
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