Better Together receives $400,000 grant from First Lady Casey DeSantis’ Florida Disaster Fund

First Lady Casey DeSantis presented Better Together, a nonprofit dedicated to families and children, with a $400,000 grant to support its Hurricane Ian disaster relief efforts.

Presented during a disaster fund news conference on Oct. 21 in Sarasota, the grant funds will support the nonprofit’s efforts to provide a variety of resources to meet the growing needs of Southwest Florida families and children in the wake of Hurricane Ian. Resources include temporary child care for first responders and families who need a safe environment for their children, distributing food and supplies to families in need, and working with displaced workers and employers to secure jobs.

“Since Hurricane Ian, we have proudly served as the boots on the ground, knocking on more than 10,000 doors to find out exactly what these families needed. By doing that, we have been able to get them the tools and support they needed when they needed it most,” said Megan Rose, CEO of Better Together. “Hurricane Ian was really strong, but our community is so much stronger, and we can’t thank First Lady Casey DeSantis enough for helping give hope when it’s needed the most. We truly are Better Together.”

In the past few weeks alone, Better Together has delivered hurricane relief supplies door-to-door to more than 6,500 families in hard-hit communities like Harlem Heights, Suncoast Estates and Pine Island. The organization also has served warm meals to over 5,500 families, secured tarps and covered roofs for over 440 homes, provided host families to 13 displaced families, and connected more than 100 post-storm job seekers with employment opportunities and resources.

“It’s not a matter of if people get back on their feet, it’s a matter of when,” Casey DeSantis said during the news conference. “One of the things that we have done was an immediate response to the storm, literally within hours, we launched the Florida Disaster Fund, and the generosity from the people across the state and the country has been wonderful.”

To learn more about Better Together and its mission, visit BetterTogetherUS.org/Hurricane-Relief.

ABOUT BETTER TOGETHER

Better Together is a nonprofit organization that helps parents going through a hard time keep their kids out of foster care, find work and address the root causes of their struggle so that they can reunite as a family with the tools and support system to thrive. A privately funded and professionally supported organization, Better Together is made up of volunteers who believe helping people help themselves is the best way to restore dignity and bring families together. Through the Better Families program, families are offered a preventive alternative to foster care while they get the help they need. To date, the program has kept 98% of children served out of foster care. The Better Jobs program was created to address the 76% of families that come to Better Together because of economic hardship tied to unemployment. In addition to community job fairs, the program offers job seekers coaching, guidance, support and encouragement through local church partners. For more information, visit BetterTogetherUS.org.

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This article was submitted by a Guest Author of the Above Board Chamber.