Taking on Preparedness

United Way Suncoast volunteers assembled 6,000 disaster preparedness kits, powered by teamwork and a playlist of classic 1980s hits.

As “Take On Me," by a-ha, echoed through the All Faiths Food Bank warehouse in Sarasota, Andrea Kutcher of Lakewood Ranch had an “a-ha" moment about the importance of having an emergency kit before disaster strikes.

“I wish I had one," Kutcher said. “This is a great idea."

A Reminder to Get Prepared

The effort is part of United We Prepare, a national disaster preparedness initiative led by United Way Worldwide and supported by Verizon. 

Suncoast United Way will distribute 2,500 kits through All Faiths Food Bank's mobile pantries in Sarasota and DeSoto counties and another 3,500 through Feeding Tampa Bay's mobile pantries in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

“We need to start preparing right now," said volunteer Bernice Flowers at the Feeding Tampa Bay kit build in Tampa. “Don't wait until two months from now. Start now."

That mindset is at the heart of United Way Suncoast's disaster resilience work, which helps individuals and families prepare for hurricanes and other emergencies before they happen.

A Collaborative Approach

Image

The kit distribution reflects the collaborative approach that has defined United Way's work for more than a century.

For the second year in a row, Verizon provided funding through preparedness grants that support United Way Suncoast and other local United Ways across the country.

United Way Suncoast Disaster Resilience Officer Heather Koester partnered with Feeding Tampa Bay and All Faiths Food Bank to store and distribute kits to ALICE families and individuals. ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed and describes people who often live paycheck to paycheck and are especially vulnerable when disasters strike.

“Last year, we distributed 300 kits," Koester said. “This year, when Verizon asked how many we needed, I said, Can we do 6,000 because we serve a five-county area? And they said, Absolutely."

Preparing for a disaster can be expensive, she added.

“That's why we're so passionate about doing this."

Volunteers Make It Possible

The effort relied on the dedication of volunteers from across the community.

Flowers joined the kit build after experiencing firsthand the damage the 2024 hurricanes caused to her home. Kutcher, a retired social worker, said helping others has always been important to her and is a value she passed on to her two daughters, who both work in service-focused professions.

“My husband jokes that I raised a bunch of do-gooders," Kutcher said. “My goal wasn't to raise do-gooders. It was to raise good citizens."

That spirit of service reflects United Way Suncoast's mission to mobilize communities so all can thrive.

While the kits contain practical emergency supplies, their impact goes much deeper.

“On the surface, they're emergency kits," United Way Suncoast CEO Kourtney Sanchez said. “In reality, they're something much bigger. They're peace of mind for a parent wondering how they'll keep a phone charged if the power goes out. They're protection for important documents that would be difficult or impossible to replace. They're one less expense for a family already stretching every dollar."