Community Care: Stories of Impact
November 22, 2023
North Port mom faces past trauma; Rebuilt life began to spiral after her own mother died
Shawana Perkins crawled into bed that night a week before Thanksgiving 2020, exhausted but content.
Life was good. She was providing for her daughters on her own since her divorce a…
November 13, 2023
A healing path: Season of Sharing helps Bradenton father in life of grief and growth
The phone buzzed in Steven Bender's pocket and his handheld radio squawked. "Steven, what is your location?" came the voice of a colleague over the speaker. Steven whisked out the office door,…
November 8, 2023
Bradenton mom finds stability through work, studies and an assist from Season of Sharing
Sometime between sleeping in her mother's living room and paying for Uber rides to work every day, Sondra Evans knew something had to give.
She'd always been independent and had a j…
June 27, 2023
Community Foundation of Sarasota County Awards nearly $150,000 to Alzheimer's and dementia awareness and support groups
Four local nonprofit organizations have received funding for brain research and support programs In recognition of June as International Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, the Commun…
June 21, 2023
Community Foundation of Sarasota County Awards Nearly $1 Million for Hurricane Recovery Efforts
An additional $720,000 has been earmarked for future funding Just as a new hurricane season gains steam, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County has awarded nearly $1 million to local nonp…
June 1, 2023
A Time to Every Purpose
“In recovery new needs continue to emerge. We continue to learn and unearth new things that you can’t know in those initial days, weeks, and months after a disaster.” &ndash…
May 5, 2023
Harvest House awarded $120,000 grant to support '2Gen' programs
Harvest House has received a $120,000, three-year grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County to provide classroom equipment for the organization's Life Enrichment Campus and to sup…
April 17, 2023
Recent grants support All Faiths Food Bank's BackPack Program
Grants totaling $60,000 help All Faiths provide nutritional assistance for students over the weekend and during school breaks Nearly 50% of Sarasota County and 100% of DeSoto County students…
March 6, 2023
Home is Where the Heart Is
Our basic need for a home—for the shelter, security, and sanctuary a home provides—is a universal human need. While headlines are aswirl with stories of rent escalations and affor…
March 6, 2023
New Sarasota housing collaborative partners with landlords for more rentals amid crisis
Jonathan Frankel has called Sarasota home for 33 years. His kids went to local schools, he owned a nice house, and he ran a thriving tiling business. “I was the marble man for the rich a…
February 28, 2023
Community Foundation of Sarasota County Taps Unique Funding to Support Affordable Housing Opportunity for Project 180
Through a combination of grant and program-related investment, formerly incarcerated citizens remain sheltered and connected In a bid to circumvent homelessness that can lead to recidivi…
February 24, 2023
Farmhouse Animal & Nature Sanctuary Purchases Tractor with Grant Dollars
Farmhouse Animal & Nature Sanctuary, a nonprofit exotic, domestic and farm animal sanctuary, was awarded a $22,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. Funding for the g…