Farm Share, Florida food bank distributes hurricane kits

Heavy winds, flooding, and destruction are all things that come to mind every year when hurricane season comes around.

This hurricane season has already had its first category five hurricane of the year, and there is still activity to be had in the tropics.

With one month to go until this season ramps up significantly, one of Florida’s largest independent food banks is helping families stay prepared.

Farm Share is distributing hurricane supply kits to families in southwest Florida. These kits have some of the necessities a family would need during a hurricane.

Things like non-perishable foods, water, a can opener, toiletries, bug spray, etc.

And if your family has pets, they’ll also give out pet supply kits, which have dog or cat food and pet-safe shampoo.

The kits also contain information to help keep your family and pets safe going into peak hurricane season.

These kits were provided by an internationally recognized disaster relief nonprofit Global Empowerment Mission.

500 kits will be given out for free at the Suncoast Community Health Center on Saturday.

The distribution started at 9 a.m. and will last until supplies run out.

WINK News reporter Camila Pereira went to the event to show us how the community has welcomed this help.

Ciara Cancino is the Director of Development at Farm Share, “We still remember Fort Myers about two years ago. I mean, even just driving through the community, we still see the recovery happening here.”

It doesn’t help that the gulf has already seen its first category-five hurricane of the year, Hurricane Beryl.

Raul Celaya is the Director of Operations with Global Empowerment Mission, “Beryl was unprecedented, as we all know, and was something nobody expected to become a category five. So quickly, in so many different places in the Caribbean were hit….We were there within 24 hours dropping aid, and really, you know, just doing what we do best.”

But on Saturday at the Suncoast Community Health Center in North Fort Myers, Farm Share and Global Empowerment Mission partnered up to do things differently.

“Everybody’s always like let’s respond to a hurricane. But I’m like, but what if we help people become prepared for a hurricane,” said Cancino.

This event of giving out free hurricane kits is drawing people from near and far, to keep themselves and their families safe this hurricane season.

“I think it’s a good thing. Hopefully, we don’t have to deal with the hurricanes,” said a North Fort Myers resident.

“I lost my power for almost six weeks last time so and I didn’t have the internet for three months,” said a Cape Coral resident.

The drive started at 9 a.m. and will last until supplies run out Saturday.

Cancino said if they have kits left over after the drive is wrapped up, you can still pick them up at the Suncoast Community Health Center.