SANIBEL, Fla. — As people work to recover from Hurricane Helene, a non-profit is helping those people get back on their feet in what might be a small way for some, but a big help for others.
Two of those people are Joe and JoAnne, also known as Joe and Jo.
"It’s all about helping each other," Jo said.
They had about four feet of water in their home after Helene. They came to F.I.S.H. of SANCAP for help.
Watch how the organization is helping Hurricane Helene victims recover:
The non-profit is a social services organization serving the community for more than 40 years.
Over that time, they've seen their fair share of storms.
"Just to kind of see the same smells, the sights and the sounds brought back a lot of emotional distress for our residents and to our workforce alike," said Executive Director Maria Espinoza.
To relieve stress from Helene, they are giving in many ways. After Helene, Espinoza said they started assessing the community's needs.
"We’ve been working to clean people’s homes all week," she said. "There's still a lot of work to be done."
On Friday, the help was different. They branched out and offered a distribution to everyone in Lee County.
"We have everything from chairs, tables, sofas, dining room set, dishwashers, stoves," Espinoza said.
All the furniture is going to people like Joe and Jo.
"We’re you know, of course in need of appliances and furniture," Jo said. "We’re just seeing what this wonderful community of F.I.S.H. has to offer us."
A line started before the doors opened at 10 a.m.
"We’re just hoping to help them recover piece by piece," Espinoza said.
Piece by piece, people started picking out furniture and appliances to go in the home they're trying to rebuild.
Joe and Jo were able to grab a couch and small dresser to help rebuild their home.
The organization is rebuilding, too.
They now have $7 million in CDBG funds from Lee County. The building with the furniture will be emptied so they can harden the structure, lift it and provide more services to the community.
The building, destroyed by Ian, used to house the food pantry and social services.
"Helene has hit a lot of people hard because of the emotional impact," Espinoza said.
She says either way, F.I.S.H. will be there to help the community in any way they can.
"We’ve got each other. We love this community, our church, friends," Joe said. "Sanibel’s our home."
