Season of Sharing Campaign Raises $4.2 Million to Assist Families in Need

Nearly 2,200 donors contributed and 100 percent of the donations will go to help individuals and families pay for basic living expenses.

Sarasota, Florida — The Community Foundation of Sarasota County’s 26th annual Season of Sharing campaign, which concluded in January, generated $4.2 million in donations, and those contributions will be critical in the year to come to support households in crisis.

Fully 100 percent of the money raised through Season of Sharing goes to help individuals and families in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties pay for basic living expenses like housing, utilities, childcare, and transportation. While this season’s donation campaign has concluded, Season of Sharing helps people in crisis year-round. Overall, more than 57,000 households have found support through the initiative and the total amount raised through the campaign since its inception stands at $53.9 million.

This year’s campaign benefited from donations from thousands of individuals, but a handful of key gifts provided a significant boost to the total. Local philanthropists Joe and Mary Kay Henson made a $100,000 gift to the campaign in its closing days.

“In these troubling times for our country, and when our neighbors are finding it increasingly difficult to provide even minimum essentials for their families without fear and anguish, we felt this gift was something we could do, and must do,” says Mary Kay Henson.

The Hensons’ capstone gift unlocked an additional $100,000 matching donation from The Patterson Foundation, which pledged to donate $100,000 for each $500,000 raised by the community. Overall, The Patterson Foundation strengthened Season of Sharing this year with a total of $700,000 in matching funds, bringing its cumulative support for the initiative to more than $11 million since 2010.

“Season of Sharing affirms the power we all have to help our neighbors find stability and dignity through life’s challenges," says Debra Jacobs, president and CEO of The Patterson Foundation. “Our community has harnessed The Patterson Foundation’s match to strengthen the impact of its inspiring generosity. We are ever grateful to the Community Foundation of Sarasota County’s devoted staff for their tireless efforts that make Season of Sharing possible.”

The Bishop-Parker Foundation also awarded a generous $100,000 grant, money that will be earmarked to benefit residents in Manatee County. Season of Sharing donations can be directed to people in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, or DeSoto County, or to where the need is greatest in the four counties.

Over the last 12 months, Season of Sharing distributed nearly $5.1 million, more than 20 percent more than during the previous 12 months, and 3,400-plus households received assistance, a 24.3 percent increase over the previous year. Roughly 91 percent of last year’s support went toward rent or mortgage payments; people’s most frequently cited reasons for needing assistance were job losses and reductions in work hours.

Those numbers underscore how rising housing costs are creating burdens for local families while workers are at the same time experiencing reductions in their earnings. According to United Way Suncoast’s 2025 ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) Report, a Sarasota County household of four with an infant and a toddler needs to earn more than $104,000 to afford basic needs, but few of the area’s top occupations pay wages high enough to hit that threshold. The result is that setbacks like a car accident, a health emergency, or missed time at work can create deep financial strain.

“Many local families are finding themselves in precarious financial straits as they struggle with the rising cost of necessities like rent and food while earning less than they did previously because of the lingering effects of the 2024 hurricane season and other factors,” says Jessica Muroff, the Community Foundation’s president and CEO. “Season of Sharing helps people who are living on the margins find their footing and gives them a path back to stability. The beauty of the campaign is in how it connects neighbors with neighbors and in how people step up to make a difference in someone else’s life every day. To everyone who participated in this year’s campaign, we thank you.”

While the 2025-2026 Season of Sharing donation campaign has concluded, gifts to Season of Sharing can be made year-round. Donations can be made by visiting cfsarasota.org, by calling 941-556-2399, or by mailing a check to Season of Sharing, 2635 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, FL 34237. To ask for assistance, residents are encouraged to call 211, the local hotline that connects callers to community resources and services. If it is determined that someone may be eligible for Season of Sharing support, that person will be referred to a nonprofit with a caseworker who will help them navigate the application process. Once an application is approved, the money is sent directly to the applicant’s landlord, mortgage lender, utility company or other party, depending on the applicant’s need. The foundation does not issue checks directly to individuals.