Nearly 2,200 donors contributed, with 100% of funds to be used to help individuals and families pay for basic living expenses
The Community Foundation of Sarasota County’s 26th annual Season of Sharing campaign, which concluded in January, generated $4.2 million in donations, which “will be critical in the year to come to support households in crisis,” the Foundation has announced.
Fully 100% of the money raised through Season of Sharing “goes to help individuals and families in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties pay for basic living expenses, such as those involving housing, utilities, child care and transportation, a news release points out.
“While this season’s donation campaign has concluded, Season of Sharing helps people in crisis year-round,” the release continues. “Overall, more than 57,000 households have found support through the initiative and the total amount raised through the campaign since its inception stands at $53.9 million,” the release adds.
“This year’s campaign benefited from donations from thousands of individuals, but a handful of key gifts provided a significant boost to the total,” the release notes. “Local philanthropists Joe and Mary Kay Henson made a $100,000 gift to the campaign in its closing days,” the release points out.
“In these troubling times for our country, and when our neighbors are finding it increasingly difficult to provide even minimum essentials for their families without fear and anguish, we felt this gift was something we could do, and must do,” said Mary Kay Henson in the release.
“The Hensons’ capstone gift unlocked an additional $100,000 matching donation from The Patterson Foundation, which pledged to donate $100,000 for each $500,000 raised by the community,” the release explains. “Overall, The Patterson Foundation strengthened Season of Sharing this year with a total of $700,000 in matching funds, bringing its cumulative support for the initiative to more than $11 million since 2010,” the release adds.
“Season of Sharing affirms the power we all have to help our neighbors find stability and dignity through life’s challenges,” said Debra Jacobs, president and CEO of The Patterson Foundation, in the release. “Our community has harnessed The Patterson Foundation’s match to strengthen the impact of its inspiring generosity,” she continued. “We are ever grateful to the Community Foundation of Sarasota County’s devoted staff for their tireless efforts that make Season of Sharing possible,” Jacobs added.
The Bishop-Parker Foundation also awarded the Season of Sharing “a generous $100,000 grant, money that will be earmarked to benefit residents in Manatee County,” the release notes. Season of Sharing donations can be directed to people in Sarasota County, Manatee County, Charlotte County or DeSoto County, “or to where the need is greatest in the four counties,” the release notes.
Over the past 12 months, the release continues, Season of Sharing distributed nearly $5.1 million, a figure more than 20% higher than the amount for the previous 12 months. Altogether, 3,400-plus households received assistance, a 24.3% increase over the figure for the previous year, the release says. Roughly 91% of last year’s support “went toward rent or mortgage payments; people’s most frequently cited reasons for needing assistance were job losses and reductions in work hours,” the release points out.
“Those numbers underscore how rising housing costs are creating burdens for local families while workers are at the same time experiencing reductions in their earnings,” the release notes. “According to United Way Suncoast’s 2025 ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) Report, a Sarasota County household of four with an infant and a toddler needs to earn more than $104,000 to afford basic needs, but few of the area’s top occupations pay wages high enough to hit that threshold,” the release continues. The result is that setbacks such as “a car accident, a health emergency or missed time at work can create deep financial strain,” it adds.
“Many local families are finding themselves in precarious financial straits as they struggle with the rising cost of necessities like rent and food while earning less than they did previously because of the lingering effects of the 2024 hurricane season and other factors,” said Jessica Muroff, the Community Foundation’s president and CEO, in the release. “Season of Sharing helps people who are living on the margins find their footing and gives them a path back to stability,” she continued in the release. “The beauty of the campaign is in how it connects neighbors with neighbors and in how people step up to make a difference in someone else’s life every day. To everyone who participated in this year’s campaign, we thank you,” Muroff added.
“While the 2025-2026 Season of Sharing donation campaign has concluded, gifts to Season of Sharing can be made year-round,” the release notes. Persons may visit cfsarasota.org, call 941-556-2399 or mail a check to Season of Sharing, 2635 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, FL 34237,” the release points out.
“To ask for assistance, residents are encouraged to call 211, the local hotline that connects callers to community resources and services,” the release says. “If it is determined that someone may be eligible for Season of Sharing support, that person will be referred to a nonprofit with a caseworker” who will help the person navigate the application process.
After an application has been approved, the release points out, the money is sent directly to the applicant’s landlord, mortgage lender, utility company or other party, depending on the applicant’s need. The Foundation does not issue checks directly to individuals, the release says.