President Trump and his team were in Southwest Florida yesterday to see first-hand the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma and help make Florida great again. Governor Scott, Sen. Rubio, Attorney General Bondi and lots of other prominent Florida officials were also there to highlight the great need in the communities that were pounded by the storm. Even the mainstream media was there to record the scene as our leaders handed out food and water to weary victims at some of the stops.

Overall, elected officials at pretty much every level of government have been doing their part to assist communities with everything from clearing downed trees to distributing food and supplies. Speaker Corcoran sent a note to House members saying that a special session may be called soon to free up funds for recovery and rebuilding, but until then, lawmakers have been busy doing their part in each of their communities.

While Florida agriculture appears to have taken a big hit from the storm, Farm Share – a nearly 30 year old Homestead-based organization that collects unused or unsold produce from farmers and provides it low-income families – has been working with lawmakers and community leaders to make a real positive difference. Before the hurricane hit, Farm Share stationed multiple trucks of food and supplies safely in the Panhandle and then immediately deployed those resources after the storm passed to the areas hit the hardest, which has doubled the organization’s fuel costs.

Wherever Hurricane Irma’s devastation reached, Farm Share is trying to lend a helping hand. People shoulnd’t count on the government to provide everything they need, and Farm Share is showing how organizations from the private sector can step up and meet the need.

Elected officials, both Rs and Ds, are pitching in too, individuals make a difference instead of government. Congressman Al Lawson is hosting a media event in Jacksonville today and Rep. Kionne McGhee (who might win the award for the most heavy lifting during post-storm recovery efforts) also held an event earlier today in Homestead that distributed food to hungry families.

Over the weekend, State Senate candidate Jose Felix Diaz will be distributing food in Miami, Rep. Bryan Avila will be handing out food in Hialeah, and state rep and ag commissioner candidate Matt Caldwell will be giving food in Lehigh Acres. There is certainly no shortage of needy recipients and more events are being added to the calendar every day.

There are a number of organizations and nonprofits stepping up to provide aid to victims of the storm, and elected officials on both sides of the aisle are letting politics take second place to people during what will undoubtedly be a long recovery process.

If you want to do your part to help aid these efforts, consider donating financial support to Farm Share to keep the trucks moving the food where it needs to go by texting “EAT” to 41444.