Barrier Island Strong

08/27/2026

Barrier Island Strong is proud to welcome Jennifer Della Pietra as our newest Board Member!

Jennifer brings an exceptional combination of business intelligence, superior consulting expertise, and strong analytical skills to our organization. Her professional experience, including her work as a Managing Director with Willis Towers Watson, where she consults with C-level executives on human resource, financial & policy issues, will be a tremendous asset as we continue working to strengthen and rebuild our barrier island communities.

But Jennifer also brings something deeply personal to this mission. She and her husband own a home in Redington Shores that is currently being rebuilt following the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene. She understands firsthand the challenges, uncertainty, and resilience required to rebuild—not just a house, but a community.
We are thrilled to have Jennifer join the Barrier Island Strong Board and look forward to the knowledge, perspective, and passion she will bring to our work. Welcome, Jennifer!

08/25/2026

Shop Barrier Island Strong branded products & 100% of the profit supports hurricane recovery.

https://shop.barrierislandstrong.com/

08/22/2026

New & improved website. Welcome feedback since it's still a work in progress. Big shout out to Ed Katz for building the site for free. We want every dollar donated to go to people in need of hurricane recovery vs overhead.

While most of our efforts help residents, we also want to help small & local businesses impacted by hurricanes. One new feature to call out on our site is the support local tab. We are giving local businesses FREE ad listings to promote their services to vacationers. This fall we have hundreds of magnets with QR codes going into vacation rentals. Guests scan the QR code to find great local options for their vacation stays. We put in a few listings for each town to illustrate but since we are 100% volunteer based, we built site so local businesses can enter their own listings. Our goal is to have it fully operational by end of year at zero cost to small business owners. Feel free to share this with your favorite local business as there are no strings or costs for a business to promote their services in our directory.

Providing essential resources to those in need across the barrier islands in Pinellas County. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting storm recovery, mini-grants, and community resilience.

08/21/2026

Since Hurricane Helena & Milton, we have been helping people replace items needed in their temporary or new homes. For pick up this Saturday, an IRB family donated a working clothes dryer. We also have art, couches, side tables, beds frames & more available for donation. PM us for more information!

08/13/2026

We are now an eligible charity in eBay. This means sellers can easily give a percent of their sale to our non-profit. Its great for sellers because eBay for Charity lowers their selling fees, gives their items more views, adds a special charity ribbon to the listing & provides a tax receipt. Shoppers love purchasing knowing it supports a worthy cause & our supporters can make extra money selling unwanted items AND help people recover from hurricane impacts. Its a win win!

https://www.charity.ebay.com/charity/i/Barrier-Island-Strong/430710

07/28/2026

A former hurricane impacted house being raised a story higher glistening in the sunset. For those that are not local, almost every street we walk by has a house being lifted. It can be a nerve wracking process but is a viable, typically faster & more economical option than tearing down a home & rebuilding from scratch.

Almost two years later, there is only one newly built house in our neighborhood (that we know of) that is finished with its owners back living inside. That one belongs to a sister/mother team. Mom turned 101 years old while living in a RV at the construction site. Talk about resiliency. We all celebrated when we saw the RV pulled away this summer and mom/daughter moving back in. These signs of hope are critical in neighborhoods where most of the world & media has forgotten them!🌅 Amy Katz Ed Katz Lori Kinkade

07/23/2026

We just delivered another mini grant check to a family still trying to rebuild after hurricane destruction from past storms. The family of 4 has been living in Mom's trailer for several years while trying to get their house built.

Our BIS mini grants are not enough money to solve for this challenge, but as this recipient best put it "every bit helps!" Navigating hurricane damages, insurance & contractors is a financial & mental nightmare. That said, we are struck by the positivity, resiliency and grateful attitude of our mini grant winners.

A big thanks to our supporters❤️Thank you for helping us help people impacted by these storms...by giving people financial aid, supplies, and other resources, we are also giving them hope.

If you want to donate or you need help check out https://barrierislandstrong.com/

Lori Kinkade Amy Katz Ed Katz

07/15/2026

There are deadlines on several Pinellas programs approaching in July. Act quickly if you want to find out if you are eligible for these funds.

With more than 600 households approved for assistance and thousands of applications currently under review across all programs, Pinellas Recovers will close new applications for its Homebuyer Assistance and Disaster Relief Reimbursement Program for Renters on July 31, 2026.

07/12/2026

Telling someone they received a mini grant is one of our favorite things to do. We realize its drop in the bucket compared to what people have lost, but to quote one of this quarter's recipients, a Madeira Beach resident living in temporary housing with his family while still trying to rebuild his home, "Every bit helps!"

Recovery has been a long road for most since Hurricane Helene & Milton. While the beaches & tourist areas look good, most visitors would be surprised driving thru residential streets in towns like Treasure Island, Redington Shores, Mad Beach, St Pete Beach & more. If you have not lived thru it, you might wonder why it takes so long for impacted communities to recover. Simply put, insurance does not come close to covering the cost to rebuild a house destroyed by a hurricane. This is a big surprise to most owners. People quickly find themselves in situations where they are still paying a mortgage on a house they can't live in, while also paying for temporary housing & trying to come up with the funds or loans to rebuild their homes. And this is after losing all or most of their material possessions in the flood. Its a bit overwhelming to say the least & its a big reason why there are still empty lots where houses once stood, people living in RV/vans, or empty houses damaged beyond repair still standing. It's also why some people are forced to sell at a fraction of what their house is worth or they default on their mortgage.

There are still a lot of residents struggling & a tremendous amount of work to do in the barrier islands. As todays grant recipient said "Every bit helps!" We can't solve this problem on our own, but we are proud to help and we appreciate all of the people who support our mission.

If you were impacted by a hurricane on the barrier islands & need extra help, please msg us and we will try our best to assist you. If you want to apply for a mini grant, applications can be found here at https://barrierislandstrong.com/apply-for-a-mini-grant.

If you would like to support our non-profits work, donations can be easily made here at https://barrierislandstrong.com/donate.
Thank you!

Ed Katz Veronica Katz Lori Kinkade Amy Katz

06/16/2026

Easy on-line application at https://barrierislandstrong.com/apply-for-a-mini-grant

Ed Katz Amy KatzVeronica Katz Lori Kinkade