As each of us within the FSU community heal and recover from the emotional and physical damage of Hurricane Michael, we may start to ask, "How can I help?"  Here is a list of action steps to effectively assist in hurricane relief and recovery:

DONATE YOUR FUNDS and BLOOD

Donate Funds: 

Florida Disaster Fund
Volunteer Florida, the state's agency for mobilizing volunteers and coordinating donations before, during and after disasters, is promoting donations to the Florida Disaster Fund to support the thousands of Floridians affected by Hurricane Michael. The Fund is established to assist statewide communities as they recover during times of emergency. In partnership with the public sector, private sector and other non-governmental organizations, Volunteer Florida distributes the Florida Disaster Fund to voluntary organizations actively engaged in food delivery and repairing and rebuilding homes, while offering financial assistance and other recovery-related services.

DONATE

Second Harvest of the Big Bend
Second Harvest of the Big Bend is the food bank that distributes millions of pounds of food every year to hungry families in the 11-county region of the Big Bend. In the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, Second Harvest of the Big Bend is coordinating with the state and local emergency operations centers with a comprehensive disaster relief plan that includes several truckloads of water, thousands of emergency ready-to-eat meals, distribution capabilities and statewide partners.

DONATE

American Red Cross
The Red Cross responses to nearly 64,000 disasters a year nationwide, providing shelter, food, emotional support and other necessities to those affected. By making a charitable donation to the Red Cross, you are there for millions of people who face emergencies every year and help as they rebuild their lives.

DONATE

Donate Blood:

Find active Tallahassee and Leon County blood donation sites through OneBlood.

DONATION SITES

DONATE YOUR TIME and TALENT

EngageTLH
Sign up now to assist local Tallahassee non-profit agencies recover from Hurricane Michael through the Center for Leadership & Social Change’s community outreach trips.

Watch for upcoming trips to our neighboring communities hardest hit by the storm.  The center is working with our neighbors and Panama City campus to determine the most effective timing and projects to assist our neighbors. Information about upcoming trips will be on the EngageTLH page.

Volunteer Florida
Acts of service are critical to recovery, however our efforts are best coordinated by organizations with expert understanding of community needs.  Non-cash donations of clothing or food are often detrimental to the recovery process. Please have patience and await the most effective ways to help. Volunteer Florida specifically advises to not self-deploy. Fill out the survey to learn how you can effectively assist in statewide recovery.

VOLUNTEER SURVEY

Share and Connect

In times of recovery, we may feel disconnected from others and struggle to focus and/or prioritize tasks that feel distant to our emotional and physical realities. Being in service to each other is not always a traditional volunteer activity, it can be sharing your time and resources with your neighbor, giving grace to the person sitting next to you, or reaching out to connect and understand the reality of your peers, students, loved-ones. 

What might you have in abundance that someone else could benefit from? How might we each give patience and grace to each other, recognizing we may be more shaken than we expected by Hurricane Michael? How might we listen to each other’s storm stories recognizing the power of sharing our experiences with one another?  

THANK YOU and LOVE

As we heal and recover from Hurricane Michael, let us take care of ourselves and support each other.  Our Florida State community is sending love and our resources to assist in our collective recovery. We encourage all who are able to respond in one of the ways described above.