Suncoast Disaster Recovery Fund Seeded with $100,000 Gift in Anticipation of Additional Long-Term Needs during Hurricane Season

The Patterson Foundation’s gift signifies a commitment to long-term resiliency

SARASOTA, FL – While it was established in 2022 in response to Hurricane Ian’s catastrophic impacts across the region, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County’s Suncoast Disaster Recovery Fund is evolving to support disaster responses beyond any one named storm or moment in time.

The perennial fund is being seeded once again in 2024 with a $100,000 gift by The Patterson Foundation, a longtime philanthropic partner of the Community Foundation, to build upon the lessons learned locally during the last two years of recovery since the Category 4 storm Ian caused $115 billion in damage across the state of Florida.

“We have to prepare for what will happen in the future, and we want to ensure that the Suncoast Disaster Recovery Fund lives on and is responsive to future disasters, which we know are going to happen,” said Debra Jacobs, president and CEO of The Patterson Foundation.

New data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) suggests the region far exceeds the national average in vulnerability to natural hazards. The data, based on such factors as exposure, frequency of storms, and historic loss, ranks this area as extremely prone to risk and loss.

“This generous support from The Patterson Foundation will bolster future long-term recovery efforts, whatever the disaster,” said Roxie Jerde, president and CEO of the Community Foundation. “Our community has evolved since 2022, and because of the work of so many, we are able to better prepare for and pursue recovery before a disaster strikes.”

A holistic approach to disaster response

Activated in 2022 to address vital community resources that help those living here, the Suncoast Disaster Recovery Fund is specifically focused on mental and behavioral health, legal services, case management, children and youth services, as well as efforts identified by Long Term Recovery Groups within each county. Such efforts include rebuilding and repairing homes, along with replacing damaged furniture and appliances, all of which makes homes safe and livable.

Fundraising efforts raised more than $5 million from across the country, and those contributions were directed to local nonprofit organizations supporting long-term, long-range recovery programs to sustain human service agencies in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties over the last couple of years.

Going forward, any contributions to this fund will be dedicated to long-term recovery efforts, which tend to be identified six or more months following an event like a hurricane after emergency disaster response efforts have concluded.

According to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, there are four stages of disaster response:

• Response and Relief
• Reconstruction and Recovery
• Preparedness
• Resilience, Risk Reduction and Mitigation

Immediate help is available

For relief with immediate needs, the Community Foundation’s nearly 25-year-old initiative Season of Sharing is a way to support housing, transportation, utility, and childcare needs. Those in need should call 2-1-1 to be directed to support from Season of Sharing and other services.

“Our region is so fortunate to have two ways for donors to help those in need: an immediate response for their neighbors through Season of Sharing, plus intermediate and long-term recovery support for organizations serving neighbors through the Suncoast Disaster Recovery Fund,” said Jacobs. “The Patterson Foundation is proud to strengthen both.”

Donations to the Suncoast Disaster Recovery Fund can be made online at cfsarasota.org/donors/support-our-community#donate or by sending a check (payable to Community Foundation of Sarasota County) to Attn: Suncoast Disaster Recovery Fund, 2635 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, FL 34237. All donations are tax-deductible, with every dollar going directly toward our region’s medium- and long-term environmental disaster recovery.

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About the Community Foundation of Sarasota County: The Community Foundation of Sarasota County is a public charity founded in 1979 by the Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council as a resource for caring individuals and the causes they support, enabling them to make a charitable impact on the community. With assets of $489 million in more than 1,580 charitable funds, the Community Foundation awarded grants and scholarships totaling $40 million dollars last year in the areas of education, the arts, health and human services, civic engagement, animal welfare and the environment. Since its founding, the Community Foundation has been able to grant more than $435.8 million to area nonprofit organizations in our community thanks to the generosity of charitable individuals, families, and businesses. For more information, visit www.CFSarasota.org or call (941) 955-3000.

About The Patterson Foundation: The Patterson Foundation strengthens the efforts of people, organizations and communities. The Foundation focuses on issues that address common aspirations and foster wide participation, along with ways organizations learn and share as they evolve. For more information, please visit www.thepattersonfoundation.org.