'Raise The Roof For Hurricane Relief' Raises $12,000 For Victims

TAMPA BAY, FL — Five of Tampa-based Mainsail Lodging & Development’s hotel rooftop bars held a “Raise the Roof for Hurricane Ian Relief” night, raising $12,000 for the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida.

EDGE Rooftop Cocktail Lounge (Epicurean Hotel in Tampa); Hi-Fi Rooftop Bar (Fenway Hotel in Dunedin); Vantage Rooftop Bar (The Karol Hotel in Clearwater); and Skybox Rooftop Bar and Skybox Rooftop Bar (Residence Inn Tampa-Wesley Chapel) donated half of the evening’s sales to directly support those impacted by the storm.

The fifth hotel, Luminary Hotel & Co. in downtown Fort Myers, hosted a community rally on Oct. 12, during which 300 family food kits were distributed, more than 800 hot lunches were served, and families in need could meet with a variety of nonprofit organizations and the Federal Emergency Management Administration for assistance.

Later that evening, Luminary’s rooftop bar, Beacon Social Drinkery, donated 100 percent of its sales from the night.

Team members from Luminary Hotel & Co. then presented the $12,000 check from the five hotels to the Harry Chapin Food Bank on Sunday.

“It came together fast, but we wanted to give our guests and neighbors a way to quickly and directly help those affected by Hurricane Ian,” said Joe Collier, president and founder of Mainsail. “It was great to see so many come out to support the cause and help rally behind the Southwest Florida community.”

Along the Gulf Coast, the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida is working around the clock to provide help to people struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. The food bank has distributed more than 2.6 million pounds of dry goods, helped 107 agencies reopen, and has served more than 7,000 families in Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties in Southwest Florida.

“The outpouring of support coming from our gulf coast neighbors has been tremendous," said Richard LeBer, CEO of Harry Chapin Food Bank. “We are pouring our hearts into feeding those affected by hurricane Ian.”

To make a donation to the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida, visit HarryChapinFoodBank.org.