Three important disaster relief orgs to know about #HurricaneIan
Last week I sent out my standard message to friends in Florida in advance of another hurricane: “Please evacuate. I have two guest rooms awaiting you. And we’d love to have you safe and sound here with us.” #HurricaneIan was headed toward Tampa and, not only do several of the Salesforce #trailblazercommunity live in that area, the Founder and CEO of HandsOn Connect and LlamaSite, Alfredo Boccalandro does too. As is often the case, things did not turn out as expected. Hurricane Ian turned inland farther south. Tampa was spared the brunt of the destruction. But flooding was even more widespread. I never thought to worry about Daytona. And, that is where Steve Harris, a long time #trailblazercommunity member, user group leader, and event organizer lives. His house is a total loss. Because we know him personally, Christina Moore set up a gofundme. Feel free to donate or to share. But what about all the other folks in Florida? How can we help?
As a SalesforceOrg partner, we are privileged to work with a variety of nonprofits all across Florida. As Hurricane Ian approached, we reached out to all of them to ask how we could step up our support and insure they had what they need to deal with disaster relief. If you’re like us and really want to help, and you’re looking for trusted organizations in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, here are a few we know personally and recommend:
Volunteer Florida strengthens Florida’s communities through national service, fostering volunteerism, and leveraging resources. Not only does Volunteer Florida coordinate donations for disaster relief, they are the statewide clearinghouse for volunteer opportunities in response to the #HurricaneIan. Visit their site, Volunteer Florida. Be sure to read the information on how you can help. #1 is DO NOT SELF DEPLOY. No matter how much you want to help, if you are not able to provide for all of your own needs, you are exhausting the limited resources there are for those affected by the disaster.
United Way Suncoast has been serving the Tampa area since 1924. Today, they serve Desoto, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pinellas and Sarasota counties. On the site, you can donate funds to be used locally in the five county service area, find where volunteers are needed, AND get help if you were impacted by the storm and live in those counties.
Disaster relief is just one of many ways that Feeding Tampa Bay serves the community. “Feeding Tampa Bay and our Disaster Readiness team are FEMA trained and prepared to handle disaster situations. In partnership with the Tampa Bay area Emergency Operations Centers, we work directly with local emergency management operations to provide food, water, and hygiene items during crisis situations.” As you read about volunteering, sending supplies can be a challenge as well sometimes. Think twice before donating food, water, or supplies. Although these items are often needed, sometimes there are logistical challenges…like too much of a certain product in one area and not enough in another, or difficulty in storing products. To provide the most help, ensure the product is being specifically requested before sending or bringing.
As part of our @Pledge 1% commitment, we donate our product, our time, and our expertise to nonprofits in times of disaster. If you are a 501(c)3 involved in the recovery efforts for #HurricaneIan, we are glad to provide one of our apps to you this year. Our products are native to Salesforce and Salesforce offers ten (10) free licenses to nonprofits who qualify. We will donate our time and expertise to quickly get your organization up and running to manage and engage donors and/or volunteers who will want to help with recovery efforts. Drop us a line and let us know what you need. And don’t worry if you’re not sure–that’s what we’re here to do: help you help others by automating what can be automated so your team has more time to do what can’t be automated.
