SVR Realty, LLC is offering four office spaces — including one in Ponte Vedra — to be used as drop-off points for locals to donate items for those impacted by Hurricane Michael in the Florida Panhandle.
Karen Giannini, a realtor at SVR and Ponte Vedra resident since 1994, said Broker/ Owner Jeffrey Terwilliger immediately approved of using company facilities to help those impacted by the massive storm when he was approached with the idea.
Hurricane Michael was the strongest storm on record to make landfall in the Panhandle. The system originated as a tropical depression before days later peaking as a Category 4 hurricane.
Giannini's son has been deployed on a search and rescue mission to the area with the National Guard. The realtor's goal is to aid in those recovery efforts by sending donated items to those who've suffered significant losses in Panama City and elsewhere in the area.
Along with family and friends, Giannini plans on taking donated items from SVR Realty's offices to the Panhandle on a regular basis.
"It's going to be like two or three trucks plus a 24-foot trailer," she said. "We're taking everything from baby bottles to clothing. There's a great need for stuff out there. These people have no homes or anything left."
Giannini pointed out that family members originally pitched the concept of sending donated items to Panama City and she thought it was an excellent idea. The realtor noted that she plans on helping in a similar capacity the next time a storm impacts Florida.
"I feel 180 percent that it needs to be done and I feel really good about doing it," she said. "I have a 13- and a 15-year-old and I feel it's so important to show them that they need to pitch in and help. Whether it's Panama City, so many hours away, in our own backyard or if it's in Miami — it's about helping the human race."
Anyone interested in contributing (before Giannini's second trip to transport donated items to Panama City on Nov. 2) can drop off donations such as baby bottles, diapers, clothing and other essentials to one of four SVR Realty locations: 100 Fairway Park Blvd., Suite 2200 in Ponte Vedra Beach; 12412 San Jose Blvd., Suite 403 in Jacksonville; 2233 Park Ave., Suite 203 in Orange Park; and 1924 University Blvd. West in Jacksonville.
