‘Hurricane Heroes’ introduced with announcement of all-star concert

The Charity Pros spent their day introducing their “Hurricane Heroes” ahead of the all-star concert event in October.

On Thursday, WINK News interviewed countless heroes who stepped up in the wake of Hurricane Ian.

“It’s the community we all grew up in. We just did what we felt was right,” said Mallie Crister, associate pastor of the Beach Baptist.

Crister’s congregation hit the town and even opened a food pantry. Charity Pros, an organization that advocates for children’s social causes, has named Crister’s Father Pastor Shawn Crister one of its Hurricane Heroes.

Dough Miller, owner of Fk Your Diet restaurants, was also proudly named a Hurricane Hero.

“Everybody rolled up their sleeves. They’re still rolling up their sleeves. We all know. Who are we kidding? The storm might have been 10 months ago, but we’re still feeling the effects of this storm,” Miller said.

Miller also credited his wife, Amy Elderidge. Together, they fed thousands of people for free and continue to feed people in need. They also donate part of their profits.

Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers is still helping the community recover as a hurricane hero.

“We get off the airplane and you’re driving through Fort Myers, you’re driving through Naples, looks like nothing really happened,” Allers said, “But when you get to the barrier islands, you really see that the devastation is still there. Although we’ve come a long way, we still got a long way to go.”

To help raise money, Charity Pros is also sponsoring an all-star concert set for Oct. 7 at Hammond Stadium. The headliner will be Matchbox 20, along with special guest Don Felder of Eagles fame.