A few weeks ago, Hurricane Ian hit the west coast of Florida as a terrifying category 4 hurricane causing heartbreaking devastation to the communities in its path. Towns were ruined, families lost everything to flooding, and people were scared to return to the place they called home. It is times like these that show you how strong communities are as they come together to help one another.
When we heard our communities were hurting, we didn’t hesitate to lend a helping hand. Many of our Florida locations have jumped in to help wherever they can and spread kindness in a time of great need.
Palm Harbor
The team at Palm Harbor surprised the nurses of Advent Health North Pinellas Hospital with a Random Act of BBQ for their dedication to their patients in these trying times. The hospital reached out looking to reward their nurses after the stressful week they endured due to the storm. These nurses were asked to evacuate with their patients when hurricane Ian had a strong chance of hitting the Tampa Bay area. Packing your bags and quickly transporting patients before a Hurricane is no easy feat and Sonny’s BBQ wanted to show them they were appreciated for their hard work. After five long days away, the nurses returned to the hospital and were surprised with hot BBQ meals and a big thank you from the Sonny’s team. A lot of the nurses said that this was their first real meal in days. We are so happy the Palm Harbor team was able to recognize these deserving nurses.
Sarasota
The Sarasota team lunged into action when they heard that the doctors and nurses of Cape Coral Hospital hadn’t had a hot meal in days as they worked hard to help their community and nurse their patients back to health. The team whipped up some delicious BBQ meals and drove an hour and a half to Cape Coral to feed over 100 doctors and nurses at the hospital. The Sarasota team figured they could use a nice surprise and a full belly after all they had done for their patients during the storm.
iServ Team
iServ, a franchise of Sonny’s BBQ, deployed with the Marion County Emergency Response team to Hardee County. They set up shop in Wauchula to feed all the residents, first responders, and service members of the county. Every day they were out there ready to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. Overall, they served about 1,000 people a day. We are so thankful that the iServ team was able to provide hot meals for all those families in the midst of devastation. What an incredible way to give back and be a support system for those who need it most.
Operation BBQ Relief
Operation BBQ Relief, one of our giving pillar partners, set up a site in Port Charlotte to serve hot meals to surrounding impacted areas. These families have lost so much already and should not have to worry about where their next meal is coming from. The team has been there every day for the past couple of weeks and are still there now feeding everyone who stops by and raising money to help the communities rebuild. Their team of volunteers have come together to help get as many meals out to the affected communities as possible. They have served over 100,000 meals and plan to continue their efforts until everything is restored in the surrounding communities. As they continue to raise money, we will be donating $10,000 to Operation BBQ Relief to support their efforts and help them provide more families and first responders with hot meals to enjoy.
The west coast of Florida is still struggling to recover from Hurricane Ian. If you or someone you know are looking for ways to get involved, check out https://operationbbqrelief.org/ to see all the donation and volunteer opportunities.
