Florida businesses partner with Red Cross to provide disaster relief

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(L to R): Emile Campos, Gabriella Albarraein, Tim Shipman, Alex Taylor

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(L to R): Emile Campos, Alex Taylor, Abby Vella.

Red Cross volunteers visit with community manager Abby Vella after delivering food to residents affected by Hurricane Milton in Sarasota, Florida.

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(L to R): Gabriella Albarraein, Alex Taylor, Emile Campos.

Red Cross volunteers deliver much-needed food to residents of the Spanish Lake community in Sarasota, Florida, who were affected by Hurricane Milton.

October 22, 2024

Written by Kim Mailes, American Red Cross Public Affairs

When disaster strikes, like back-to-back Hurricanes Helene and Milton in Florida, the American Red Cross is there. But with thousands affected by the devastation across hundreds of square miles, it takes a team of compassionate partners to really make a difference.

When Tim Shipman of Florida Environmental, a Sarasota company, heard about the needs of senior citizens in the Spanish Lakes mobile home park, he knew he had to help. His company provides paid time off to help others, and he went to Spanish Lakes to meet with community manager, Abby Vella, and discovered residents still lacked safe drinking water and some basic food items.

“As Abby began to tell me about the need, I saw tears welling up in her eyes, That’s when I knew I had to help,” he said.

Tim returned that day with cases of water, and then contacted Hector Garcia, manager of the local Sam’s Club, requesting more assistance. Sam’s Club quickly agreed to donate a large pallet of food for the community. Now the challenge was getting it delivered.

That’s where the Red Cross comes in.

The Red Cross disaster relief operation began before Hurricane Helene made landfall, ramped up with the arrival of Hurricane Milton fifteen days later, and continues weeks into the disaster recovery process. Nearly 1,500 Red Cross volunteers from across the county are providing shelter, food, emotional support and recovery supplies to hundreds of thousands of Floridians affected by the disaster.

Red Cross volunteers Alex Taylor, Emile Campos, and Gabriela Albarraein met Sam’s Club manager Hector Garcia and loaded the donated items into their Red Cross vehicles and delivered them to be distributed to the residents at Spanish Lake.

“We are so, so thankful for these items,” Abby, the community manager, said. “Our residents are mostly elderly and are on fixed incomes and they were really devastated by the storm. These items are going to make a big difference in the lives, and we’re so grateful to the Red Cross for making this happen.”