Pictured: All Faiths Food Bank and is of workers participating in a food drive. Photo courtesy AFFB.

A community’s strength, merit and fortitude can only be truly tested in its toughest moments. Unfortunately, Sarasota is facing some of its toughest times to date after the brutal impact of back to back hurricanes. On September 26, Hurricane Helene made landfall in the area, wreaking havoc across the entire Southeastern seaboard and bringing devastating flooding to the Gulf Coast. Just under two weeks later, Hurricane Milton–a storm of historic proportions–made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane. Millions of Floridians have been left without power, as homes, businesses, schools and shelters were destroyed in the storm surge.

The tangible damage will take months, if not years to recover from. The mental and emotional stress will likely live on longer than that. The people at All Faiths Food Bank realize that. It’s why this Sunday, in partnership with the Jewish Federation, the organization has organized a pop-up hurricane relief food distribution from 11am to 1pm. The event will be hosted on the Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee’s campus and is open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. Designed to help local residents in need, the pop-up will distribute an array of groceries, including produce, meats, bottled water and non-perishable items. “I think people around here really need everything right now. Residents have been pushed out of their homes, they don’t have their belongings, they don’t have access to water and healthy foods so that they can prepare meals. And if they are lucky enough to be somewhere where they have a kitchen and can cook, it's so nice to be able to provide people with more than just MREs or canned goods,” says Nina Harrelson, All Faiths Food Bank’s Director of Strategic Communications. “I think that people are just looking for some sense of normalcy right now after a really excruciating month of back to back storms.”

Sunday, October 20 11am to 1pm (or as long as supplies last), Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee, 580 McIntosh Rd, Sarasota.

Pictured: All Faiths Food Bank and is of workers participating in a food drive. Photo courtesy AFFB.

To learn more, visit.