In Darkness, Light

There is something hauntingly beautiful about the way the sun has shone so brightly in the days and weeks after Hurricane Milton made landfall right here on Siesta Key on October 9. Hearing birds playfully chirping and watching as the gentle breeze flutters leaves is a stark contrast to the reality of our community when Milton raged through it.

The dark days of Milton’s approach and arrival—just 13 days after Hurricane Helene pummeled our coastal neighborhoods—have been difficult for many in our area, a frightening moment of our vulnerability to the whims of weather, an unsettling revelation of climate trends delivered in a one-two punch that left many of our neighbors reeling with grief and loss. It also provoked such an unsettling feeling and wondering how this be happening again?

Like the sun that has brightened and warmed these post-storm days, Season of Sharing has been a source of hope and comfort to our most impacted neighbors. The time-tested and trusted safety net is a lifeline for those displaced by the storms or whose work has been disrupted for the foreseeable future. It is stable ground in the uncertain and tumultuous ecological and economic climate we find ourselves in after the storms.

We celebrate the 25th anniversary of Season of Sharing this year, and, at 25 years old, it is more vibrant than ever, thanks to generous donations that have gotten this year’s campaign off to an unprecedented start. Our philanthropic partners at The Patterson Foundation have shown incredible support by gifting $1 million to Season of Sharing to help our neighbors recover. Others have also been instrumental to Season of Sharing’s groundswell this year, including the Brian and Sheila Jellison Family Foundation, which made a $500,000 matching gift, and Eliza and Hugh Culverhouse Jr., who made a gift of $500,000. The Bishop-Parker Foundation gave a donation of $100,000 to be directed to the hard-hit Manatee County, and the Baltimore Orioles also provided a $250,000 match in addition to an initial gift of $250,000. Each of these gifts unlocked an additional $100,000 from The Patterson Foundation, which contributes that amount to every $500,000 raised through Jan. 31, 2025. This extraordinary generosity has come in tandem with several grassroots fundraising efforts that have bolstered Season of Sharing’s power to help our community in these troubled times. So far, we’ve raised more than $3 million for Season of Sharing, and typically the annual campaign doesn’t officially kick off until November.

That’s great news, because we will need the assurance that Season of Sharing provides. Natural disasters don’t discriminate, and many who’ve never imagined needing assistance of this kind may need a helping hand to avoid a financial crisis triggered by emergency expenses, displacement, or loss of income.

Our community has lost much, but one thing we haven’t lost is our compassion for one another, our willingness to step up for our neighbors in times of need. We are fortunate to live among caring individuals who would go from house-to-house ringing doorbells of their neighbors to see what they could do to help; fortunate, too, that Season of Sharing is a much easier, more direct, and more effective way to help those who need it. With these matches in place, people who want to do good can amplify their efforts and ease the stress and uncertainty that these storms have left swirling in those who live here.

Created to cover an expense that life’s uncertainties can preclude, like housing, utilities, childcare, car repairs or transportation, Season of Sharing was conceived 25 years ago to prevent rippling financial calamities, incited by a missing bill payment, that can result in devasting damage to credit scores and the worst-case situation of homelessness. Since the year 2000, more than $42.5 million has been raised and distributed to more than 50,000 individuals and families. And from day one, 100 percent of the contributions has gone to those in need—every dollar donated is delivered directly to the service providers so that our neighbors can stay in a safe home and recover with dignity.

Martin Luther King, Jr., once said, “Only in the darkness can you see the stars,” and this quote resonates with me now as much as ever. While these storms have brought a pall of darkness to our community in myriad ways, they have set the stage for the exceptional brightness of our community’s generosity to shine.