Following the catastrophic damage of Hurricane Ian, Broadway Cares has sent $250,000 in emergency grants made in the name of the Broadway community to five food banks currently helping Florida residents recover and rebuild.
These grants include $150,000 to Feeding Florida, a network of 12 food banks across the state, and $25,000 each to four local food banks in areas hit hardest: All Faiths Food Bank in Sarasota, Feeding Tampa Bay, the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida in Ft. Myers, and Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida in Orlando.
“In times like these, it is crucial that those with the ability to do so offer a helping hand, which is what the Broadway community has done time and again,” said Tom Viola, executive director of Broadway Cares, in a statement. "On behalf of that entire community—those onstage, backstage, and in the audience—we say to those in Florida facing challenging times, ‘You are not alone in your great distress and recovery.’ While we can never respond adequately to the overwhelming destruction of homes and infrastructure, we can make a difference in how those most affected and displaced are taken care of, particularly around meals, personal care items, and clean water.”
“The Feeding Florida network could not do this critical work without the generous support of those stepping up when disaster strikes, and the Broadway community is key among them,” added Feeding Florida Executive Director Robin Safley. “Our food banks and their partner agencies are embedded in these communities and in it for the long haul; they know better than anyone how to care for their neighbors during this difficult time.”
For more information on the organizations receiving emergency grants, visit FeedingFlorida.org, AllFaithsFoodBank.org, FeedingTampaBay.org, HarryChapinFoodBank.org, and FeedHopeNow.org.
Last month, with an emergency grant to the Hispanic Federation, Broadway Cares similarly provided $250,000 for urgent services and relief in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Fiona.
Broadway Cares is one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources, and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 Broadway Cares has raised more than $300 million for essential services for people with HIV/AIDS, COVID-19, and other critical illnesses across the United States.
