ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- When a hurricane strikes, Sol Relief calls on its network of donors and pilots to bring supplies to hard hit areas.
Now, though the response is different, they're tackling the coronavirus crisis.
Part of that includes how they provide relief.
"There’s no donation drive just because of the separation and the safety. So what we’re doing is having the pilots go directly to the supplier the warehouse then deliver the people in need," said the organization's president, Jennifer Lockwood.
This week they partnered with MAP International, who's delivered supplies globally, to bring personal protection equipment for nurses in Miami.
Two weeks ago they also sent a medical flight of supplies to the Bahamas.
"They’re short staffed, they’re short on supplies, they’re short on everything since Hurricane Dorian went through so they were in desperate need just like the rest of the communities are," said Lockwood.
For the local community, they partnered with Crossroad Alliance and Ministries to deliver 23,000 pounds of nonperishable food to St. Petersburg Free Clinic. The clinic said it will help serve more than 20,000 meals to Pinellas County families.
The clinic said it's seen the need and demand nearly double in the past month due to COVID19.
"We expect that the need will continue to be there and will continue to rise and we’re committed to meeting that,"said CEO Jennifer Yeagley.
While the virus continues, Sol Relief is still on the lookout for ways to help those areas in need.
"We’re still actively looking for more PPE and then we will coordinate flights for distribution and we’re doing needs assessments locally in St.Pete and Tampa and then with our connections in Miami," said Lockwood.
You can find more information on how to help Sol Reliefand the St. Petersburg Free Clinic here.