Foundation Special Giving Edition: Support Hurricane Victims

Background on Communities Impacted by Hurricane Helene & Milton
Individuals and families experiencing the greatest hardship from climate events are often the most impoverished, vulnerable and marginalized populations. Impacted communities are still in the early days of emergency response and recovery. We can help by supporting search-and-rescue efforts, safe water and food distributions, direct recovery aid, and recovery and rebuilding efforts that will follow.

In response, you can give to the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s Hurricane Relief Fund, which now supports both victims of Helene and Milton. Fund beneficiaries include members of Jewish and non-Jewish communities in the most affected geographies.

Local Relief Efforts Supporting Victims
We updated our original recommendations to include vetted organizations working in Florida on the response to Hurricane Milton.

First-Responders

• Aerial Recovery EIN 82-4664854
  A Tennessee-based, Veteran & first responder-led special operator, conducts reconnaissance, welfare checks, aid distribution, and debris clearance in highly impacted neighborhoods across several states.
• Operation Airdrop EIN 82-2886264
  Coordinating with volunteer pilots and a diverse fleet of aircraft, Operation Airdrop fills the gaps in emergency response efforts, delivering life-saving supplies—such as food, water, medical necessities, and personal hygiene items—to areas which cannot be reached by ground operations and where full communities are cut off from aid. Donations cover fuel costs for planes and purchase of critical basic supplies.

Recovery and Rebuilding

• NECHAMA EIN 41-1998750
  NECHAMA, the Jewish Response to Disaster, is launching a major deployment in Western North Carolina, mobilizing 1,000+ volunteers from Jewish communities across the country to restore homes. Expecting to work for at least the next six months, the project deploys Jewish people into non-Jewish communities in meaningful exchange with the potential additional benefit off adding new supporters to fight antisemitism. In Florida, NECHAMA volunteers are providing virtual case management intake services and support.
• World Central Kitchen EIN  27-3521132
  Led by Chef José Andrés, World Central Kitchen is preparing meals and supporting local hunger relief programs across the impacted Florida and North Carolina counties.

Local Florida Relief Organizations

• Community Foundation of Tampa Bay EIN 59-3001853
  This fund supports area nonprofits working on the front lines of Hurricanes Helene and Milton relief efforts in the area. Money will be deployed to local nonprofits to address needs related to hurricane recovery such as: emergency food, shelter, clothing, medical treatment, storm-related damage, vehicle repairs & programming to support long-term recovery efforts such as services. An acute critical needs list is also available for specific emergency projects in Pinellas, Pasco & Hillsborough Counties.
• Farm Share EIN 65-0342192
  Founded by Floridians for Floridians, Farm Share has been combating food insecurity since 1991 with the innovative concept of recovering surplus crops from Florida farmers to distribute fresh and nutritious food to those in need. Relief efforts focus on the critical days and weeks immediately following a storm, frequently serving communities within 24 hours. After Hurricanes Ian and Idalia, Farm Share delivered over 70 semi-trucks of food, water, and supplies within 14 days of the storms making landfall.
• Volunteer Florida Foundation’s Florida Disaster Fund EIN 01-0973168
   If you prefer to give to a general, local fund, the State of Florida’s official private fund is set up to distribute money to service organizations working with community and residents to respond, recover, and rebuild.

Climate Change Solutions
For individuals interested in support long-term solutions, here are two vetted organizations working on the Jewish response to climate change.

• The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) EIN 13-6996770
  COEJL mobilizes the Jewish community to advocate for policies that support environmental protection while building core Jewish environmental knowledge. COEJL has been an initiative at the Jewish Council for Public Affairs since 1993 and serves as the Jewish partner in the National Religious Partnership on the Environment.
• Dayenu EIN 46-1323531
  Dayenu is building a movement of American Jews confronting the climate crisis. They mobilize Jewish support for climate solutions and build collective power with national and global movements, convening advocates in discussions with political representatives locally, nationally and globally. Their core initiative promotes with fossil fuel divestment and incentivizing investment in new oil and gas fields solutions. *Gifts are made to the fiscal sponsor, Social Good Fund with “Dayenu” in the memo line.