• Video
  • Shop
  • Culture
  • Family
  • Wellness
  • Food
  • Living
  • Style
  • Travel
  • News
  • Book Club
  • GMA3: WYNTK
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • Terms of Use
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Contact Us
  • © 2025 ABC News
  • Living

Neighbors band together to help after Hurricane Ian

2:15
Neighbors band together to help after Hurricane Ian
Rebecca Santata/AP
ByGMA Team
October 03, 2022, 12:56 PM

Five days since Hurricane Ian made landfall as a Category 4 storm, hundreds of families are trying to pick up the pieces as the recovery process continues.

In the close-knit community of Harlem Heights in Fort Myers, Florida, Ian decimated the area, leaving some homes and buildings submerged in several feet of water. Among them is the Gladiolus Food Pantry, which provides about 250 low-income families with food and household goods like diapers and toothpaste on a weekly basis.

After the hurricane, Gladiolus Food Pantry was flooded and the essential supplies inside the building were all destroyed.

PHOTO: Garbage is piled outside the Gladiolus Food Pantry in Harlem Heights, Fla., Oct. 1, 2022. The Gladiolus Food Pantry usually hands out supplies on Wednesdays, but had to close due to Hurricane Ian and the food they had collected got spoiled.
Garbage is piled outside the Gladiolus Food Pantry in Harlem Heights, Fla., Oct. 1, 2022. The Gladiolus Food Pantry usually hands out supplies on Wednesdays to about 240 families. When Hurricane Ian swept through that day, they had to cancel their distribution and the food they had collected (black beans, bags of rice, meats, bread and produce) got spoiled.
Rebecca Santata/AP

Related Articles

MORE: Those who didn't evacuate Hurricane Ian describe what it's like to ride out storm

“I mean, when the storm came, we lost power. We don't have any water. I mean, my food is spoiling in the refrigerator,” Keyondra Smith, a local resident, said.

Editor’s Picks

Woman uses social media to help find mom whose home flooded in Hurricane Ian

  • Sep 30, 2022

Chef Jose Andres, World Central Kitchen activate hurricane food supplies

  • Sep 30, 2022

Group rescues elderly man from vehicle submerged in hurricane floodwaters

  • Sep 29, 2022

Neighbors and community members have since teamed up to pitch in at Gladiolus, handing out food and water to anyone who needs them.

PHOTO: People collect food  and supplies outside the Gladiolus Food Pantry in Harlem Heights, Fla., Oct. 1, 2022. The Gladiolus Food Pantry usually hands out supplies on Wednesdays, but had to suspend distribution due to Hurricane Ian.
People collect food and supplies outside the Gladiolus Food Pantry in Harlem Heights, Fla., Oct. 1, 2022. The Gladiolus Food Pantry usually hands out supplies on Wednesdays, but had to suspend distribution due to Hurricane Ian and the food they had collected got spoiled.
AP
PHOTO: Miriam Ortiz, the founder and director of the Gladiolus Food Pantry, looks through supplies in the food bank in Harlem Heights, Fla.,  Oct. 1, 2022.
Miriam Ortiz, the founder and director of the Gladiolus Food Pantry, looks through supplies in the food bank in Harlem Heights, Fla., Oct. 1, 2022.
Rebecca Santata/AP

Related Articles

MORE: Organizations head to Florida amid Hurricane Ian wreckage

"People have worked their whole lives to get a tiny little sliver of something and it's gone," Jessica Woods said. "So that’s what hurts, I think, the most."

Woods called her friends following Ian's aftermath and they're now volunteering to support their community in this crucial time of need.

“When everybody has cleared this tent, that’s when we’ll be done," Woods said. "Our community is really hurting."

Floyd Simmons, who has lived in Harlem Heights for the past 44 years, says his home is a "disaster" but he's thankful for the volunteers in his community who are jumping in to help.

“It’s a beautiful thing," Simmons said. "That’s showing love.”

Gladiolus' director, Miriam Ortiz, said despite the storm's immense impact, the food pantry will continue to operate. The pantry is currently accepting donations of food, water and other staples like blankets, as well as welcoming volunteers who can lend a helping hand.

Miriam Ortiz, the founder and director of the Gladiolus Food Pantry, looks through supplies in the food bank in Harlem Heights, Fla., Oct. 1, 2022.
AP

For individuals looking to help, food-based organizations such as Feeding Tampa Bay and World Central Kitchen are helping local communities impacted by Hurricane Ian. Other groups are offering support beyond food needs, such as debris cleanup, financial assistance and more. These organizations include CDP Atlantic Hurricane Season Recovery Fund, Florida Disaster Fund, Good360 and Team Rubicon.

Click HERE for more information on organizations helping people impacted by Hurricane Ian.

Related Topics

  • Hurricane Ian

Editor’s Picks

Woman uses social media to help find mom whose home flooded in Hurricane Ian

  • Sep 30, 2022

Chef Jose Andres, World Central Kitchen activate hurricane food supplies

  • Sep 30, 2022

Group rescues elderly man from vehicle submerged in hurricane floodwaters

  • Sep 29, 2022

Up Next in Living—

How to help victims of deadly Texas floods

July 7, 2025

Going loco for Labubu: Why adults can't stop buying the collectible plush toy

July 4, 2025

Is Costco open on the Fourth of July? List of grocery stores, major retailers' holiday hours

July 3, 2025

July has the highest number of drowning deaths. Here's how to prevent them

July 3, 2025

Shop GMA Favorites

ABC will receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Sponsored Content by Taboola

The latest lifestyle and entertainment news and inspiration for how to live your best life - all from Good Morning America.
  • Contests
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Children’s Online Privacy Policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • About Nielsen Measurement
  • Press
  • Feedback
  • Shop FAQs
  • ABC News
  • ABC
  • All Videos
  • All Topics
  • Sitemap

© 2025 ABC News
  • Privacy Policy— 
  • Your US State Privacy Rights— 
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy— 
  • Interest-Based Ads— 
  • Terms of Use— 
  • Do Not Sell My Info— 
  • Contact Us— 

© 2025 ABC News