Over the weekend, Gov. Ron DeSantis visited Yankeetown, a small town in the Big Bend that has been heavily impacted by Hurricane Idalia.
Publix donated a truckload of food and water to the residents of Yankeetown to assist in their recovery while utility linemen worked to restore power to all accounts that can safely receive it. This donation follows Publix’s donation of more than 800 Publix subs to impacted Floridians in Yankeetown and Horseshoe Beach. Walmart has also donated goods to the people of Yankeetown, including food, water and cleaning supplies.
“Recovering from hurricanes is a full community effort and that includes businesses like Publix, Walmart and Chick-fil-A,” said DeSantis. “We are grateful for their support as they send in truckloads of supplies, including Publix subs, into impacted areas like Yankeetown and Horseshoe Beach.”
“Our private sector partners like Publix, Walmart and Chick-fil-A have been instrumental in helping these communities as they put the pieces back together following Hurricane Idalia,” said state Commerce Sec. J. Alex Kelly. “We will continue to engage our private sector partners and work with them to get resources into the communities that need it most. We thank everyone who has rallied behind Floridians of the Big Bend and donated their resources.”
These private sector donations follow the meal donations already made by Publix and Chick-fil-A at the business resource center established by FloridaCommerce in conjunction with other state agencies to serve as a one-stop shop for Floridians recovering following Hurricane Idalia. FloridaCommerce is also joining the Department of Children and Families at their Family Resource Centers to provide help to families in need of services. Walmart has also established a full slate of resources for residents at their location in Perry, Florida, where they have laundry stations, portapotties, food and other resources for impacted Floridians in the Big Bend.
