Governor Ron DeSantis Awards $1.6 Million through the Florida Disaster Fund to support Florida Families Impacted by Hurricane Idalia HomeGovernor DeSantisMeet Ron DeSantisScheduling RequestsPhotos with Ron DeSantisContact Governor DeSantisFirst Lady DeSantisMeet Casey DeSantisScheduling RequestsPhotos with First Lady DeSantisContact First Lady DeSantisLt. Gov. NuñezMeet Jeanette NuñezPhotos with Lt. Gov. Jeanette NuñezScheduling RequestsEmail the Lt. GovernorMediaNews Releases ArchiveMedia InquiriesPhotosLong Range Program PlanGubernatorial AppointmentsRequest a Public RecordPress BriefingsScheduleInfo CenterExecutive OrdersInternshipsOpen GovernmentNotary SectionReport Waste, Fraud and AbuseMyFlorida.comFlag InformationVolunteer FloridaExplore AdoptionLegislationJudicialContactContact Governor DeSantisGovernor’s OfficeContactsEspañol Governor Ron DeSantis Appoints Four to the Florida Defense Support Task Force Governor Ron DeSantis Awards $1.6 Million through the Florida Disaster Fund to support Florida Families Impacted by Hurricane Idalia On September 8, 2023, in News Releases, by Staff Today’s awards support Florida teachers and local community churches to help with recovery effortsCHIEFLAND, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis announced more than $1.6 million in awards through the Florida Disaster Fund to support Florida families recovering from Hurricane Idalia. The Florida Disaster Fund has raised over $3.7 million to date, for Hurricane Idalia relief. To donate, click here. Today’s awards will support teachers in Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Suwannee, and Taylor counties; volunteer organizations that are actively participating in response efforts and local community churches. The Governor made the announcement while attending one of the first Friday night football games in the area following Hurricane Idalia, between Chiefland Middle-High School and Suwannee High School.“The Florida Disaster Fund allows us to cut through red-tape and get funds into the hands of these organizations quickly,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Our teachers, volunteer organizations, and churches have done a great job helping the community recover, and I am glad we can support them with these awards.”“The Florida Disaster Fund helps us go beyond government to help with hurricane recovery,” said First Lady Casey DeSantis. “Through today’s awards, we are supporting whole communities in getting back on their feet, back to work and back to a sense of normalcy. We will continue to award these funds to support the rebuilding of impacted communities and I encourage anyone looking for a way to help, to donate to the Florida Disaster Fund.”Awards are as follows:$700,000 was awarded to seven education foundations to support impacted teachers.$100,000 to Dixie Education Foundation, Inc.$100,000 to Hamilton County Public Schools Foundation$100,000 to Lafayette Penny Foundation$100,000 to Levy County Schools Foundation$100,000 to Madison County Foundation for Excellence in Education$100,000 to Suwannee Education Foundation$100,000 to Taylor County Education Foundation$700,000 was awarded to support charitable organizations assisting in disaster response efforts including:Adventist Community ServicesCajun Navy Ground ForceCatholic CharitiesConvoy of HopeFeeding FloridaFlorida Baptist Convention Disaster ReliefFlorida State Animal Response CoalitionMercy ChefsOperation BBQ ReliefSalvation ArmySecond Harvest of the Big BendTeam RubiconToolBank USAFlorida Methodist Church Disaster Relief$200,000 was awarded to local community churches that were impacted by the storm. Providing funds to these institutions is imperative to ensure a sense of normalcy is brought back to the area through the faith community. Funds will be used to support traditional community support services or to enable churches to reopen and hold services while they await long-term repairs and applicable reimbursements.To see a full list of donors and awardees, click here. Donations made to the Volunteer Florida Foundation are tax-deductible. Donations may be made by visiting www.FloridaDisasterFund.org, or by mail to the below address. Checks should be made payable to the Volunteer Florida Foundation and should include “Florida Disaster Fund” in the memo line. Volunteer Florida FoundationAttention: Florida Disaster Fund1545 Raymond Diehl Road Suite 250Tallahassee, FL 32308Volunteer Florida is the state’s lead agency for volunteerism and community service. Established in 1994 as the Florida Commission on Community Service, Volunteer Florida promotes volunteerism and community service throughout the state, administers national service programs, and coordinates disaster recovery efforts in impacted communities. ### Comments are closed. Contact Governor DeSantis Executive Office of Governor Ron DeSantis400 S Monroe StTallahassee, FL 32399(850) 488-7146Email Governor DeSantisEmail First Lady DeSantisEmail Lt. Governor Nuñez Information CenterScheduling Requests Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing. Copyright © 2012 State of Florida | Privacy Policy Go To Top » HomeGovernor DeSantisFirst LadyLt. GovernorMedia CenterInfo CenterJudicialContact GovernorEspañol