Hurricane Ian Relief: From the Tampa Bay Rooftops

It’s no secret that Tampa Bay had a swift stroke of luck recently with the turn of Hurricane Ian’s path.

For most of us the storm was basically a bout of gusts and rain. Consequently, I think the worst of it was the next day where we had to pickup branches and debris in the yard. The power at our house flickered, but consistently stayed on the whole time. Some watched me put a go-bag together on IG stories and thankfully I never had to use it. A lot of us are back into routines, but not without a noticeable ping of guilt saying “that could have been us.”

Conversely, our neighbors down south are experiencing unimaginable and devastating destruction from Ian. It’s unsettling to see the coverage and think about how the state of Florida is living two very different realities right now. Because of this, it’s more important than ever for us to come together and help.

What’s been reassuring for me is seeing how Tampa Bay has found ways to come together and provide relief to those affected by Hurricane Ian.

I’ve seen restaurants offering up monetary donations from sales and supplies being delivered down south. Another effort I’ve seen is folks traveling to the affected cities to help. The opportunities to pitch in have been widespread and fruitful. It’s also been extremely heartwarming to watch our community succeed in doing the right thing.

I’ve been sharing opportunities to help with Hurricane Ian relief and efforts on Instagram as I see them on pop up on my feed. Another place I’ve been checking? My inbox. I had a press release land in my emails recently with the title Raise the Roof for Hurricane Ian Relief. You’re probably wondering if we’re raising the roof because it’s on fire. Bad joke, sorry.

However, it’s quite the opposite actually. Instead of playing with fire, we’re playing with liquid.

Rooftop bars across Tampa Bay are coming together this Thursday (October 6th) and raising money for Hurricane Ian relief. Specifically participating in this effort are:

Certainly we all know by now this girl loves a rooftop bar and I’ve been to two out of four of these.

Basically there’s really no wrong choice if you choose to attend the event at any one of these locations. 50% of all sales on Thursday (October 6th) from each rooftop bar will be be donated to the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida to support those impacted by Hurricane Ian.

I’d cheers to that and at a rooftop bar? Even better.