Season of Sharing ends with unprecedented community support

We are filled with gratitude and hope because of the unprecedented generosity shown this year from neighbor to neighbor.

The 22nd annual Season of Sharing campaign, a partnership between the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and the Herald-Tribune, concluded on Jan. 31. It has resulted in a new record amount of donations given by residents to help people in need in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties.

Thanks to your willingness to help, the campaign raised a total of $4,454,834. That includes $700,000 in matching donations from The Patterson Foundation, which gave $100,000 for every $500,000 donated by the community. That is the largest amount since The Patterson Foundation began supporting Season of Sharing 12 years ago.

A year earlier, during the 2020-21 campaign, with effects from the COVID-19 pandemic so fresh in people’s lives, Season of Sharing raised a then-record $3,729,095. To see such generosity exceeded this year is a testament to the goodwill and caring concern in our community that affirms the decades of trust that have been the heart of the campaign’s momentum.

This money is used all year long as an emergency fund for families at risk of homelessness. Through partner agencies in the community, Season of Sharing is able to provide swift assistance with rent and housing costs, utility bills, child care and transportation needs. All donations go directly to those in need, and no money is taken from the donations for administrative costs.

Read the full opinion editorial in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune