Sarasota Police Donation Drive For Keys First Responders ‘Will Make A Difference’

SARASOTA, FL - The Sarasota Police Department’s donation drive to help first responders and their families in the Florida Keys exceeded expectations by sending two semi-trucks and four trailers of items to the area suffering from Hurricane Irma’s devastation. Some of the Keys residents started crying as they saw the amount of goods that had been donated.

The first semi-truck and three trailers left Saturday night and were delivered to U.S. Coast Guard Station Marathon. A second semi-truck and trailer was on its way to Cudjoe Key to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office - Florida Keys and will arrive Tuesday night.

“ It will make a difference in the community,” said Sgt. Bruce King of the Sarasota Police Department. “I wish everybody could have gone down there with me to see some of the reactions. To see grown people look at the stuff and just start crying and thank us and say how did this happen. And told them it happened because of the community’s generosity.”

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“I can’t even describe how this came together because I am not really sure,” King said. “Everytime we ran into a roadblock, somebody else stepped up to take care of the problem.”

The Sarasota Police Department, in partnership with Suntex Marinas / Marina Jack, Voigt Brothers Construction, Terry's Plumbing and Larry and Linda Twill, began asking for donations and supplies last week to help “our law enforcement brothers and sisters complete their recovery.” The department had initially hoped to fill three trailers when the donation drive was announced.

“From that moment, the outpouring of love and generosity was amazing,” King said. “It’s something that I don’t know if I have ever seen in my lifetime and definitely blessed to be a part of it.”

King said he worked in the Keys for about eight years before his job with the Sarasota police.
When he returned from the first trip to the Keys with donated items on Monday, he found another 22 pallets of items had been donated, from cleaning supplies to kitty litter that helps absorb water in houses.

He said all the agencies in the Keys were thankful and amazed “to see our city come together.”

Hurricane Irma made landfall on Sunday, Sept. 10 in Cudjoe Key as a Category 4 hurricane. Many of the lower Keys have been devastated, leaving residents and law enforcement without essential resources needed for restoration, Sarasota police said.

Monetary donations were also being accepted through the Sarasota Police Foundation. For contributions, visit
https://secure.givelively.org/donate/sarasota-police-foundation-inc .

Photo: Kevin McGinty with the City of Sarasota Utilities spearheaded a water collection effort for the Keys Recovery Drive. Photo via Sarasota Police Department Facebook page.