By Daniel Casciato
The recent impact of Hurricane Ian has left thousands of Floridians in need of financial support and supplies.
One of the organizations stepping up to help victims of Hurricane Ian is Trulieve, a Florida-based medical cannabis company.
“As a company, we owe so much to the beautiful state of Florida and its people,” says Kim Rivers, Trulieve’s Chief Executive Officer. “We are committed to helping in this crucial time of healing and rebuilding.”
Trulieve will be making a donation to the Florida Disaster Fund, established through the Volunteer Florida Foundation. The Florida Disaster Fund is the State of Florida’s official private fund established to assist Florida’s communities as they respond to and recover during times of emergency or disaster.
“All Trulieve Florida locations have allowed patients the option to donate to the Florida Disaster Fund in-store at checkout,” says Rivers. “We will match all in-store donation proceeds at an additional percentage.”
The company also established the Trulieve Employee Relief Fund to help impacted workers begin rebuilding. Trulieve provided the initial funding to kick-start this initiative and will be matching 100% of all employee donations dollar for dollar. This fund will continue into the future and be used to help and support team members who have experienced a life-changing event companywide.
“Alternatively, we accepted donated items at any Trulieve store, facility, or office in Florida,” explains Rivers. “Our shipment teams picked up donations and took them to Tampa to be re-distributed to our employees in need throughout the state.”
Through the Employee Relief Fund, Trulieve has already distributed more than $30,000 to employees impacted by Hurricane Ian, with another round of funding being provided this week and even more expected beyond that.
Additionally, employees have donated their time. For example, Trulieve team members hosted a two-day event to feed more than 350 residents in the hard-hit coastal community of Port Charlotte.
“We also want to share a heartfelt thank you to the incredible group of individuals and cross-functional teams throughout the company that banded together to ensure everyone was kept safe and were able to quickly close more than 80 locations in the anticipated path of Hurricane Ian,” says Rivers. “This same team worked tirelessly to assess each store and get them reopened when it was safe to do so. What an exceptional team effort.”
As the state continues to deal with the impact of this storm, Rivers notes that Trulieve is proud to help rebuild the communities where they live and work that have sustained damage.
“We hope our efforts make this struggling time easier for our communities and team members,” she says. “Trulieve’s nearly 9,000 employees and the communities where we live, and work are a family, and we want to take care of each other in times of need.”
She adds, “Thank you to everyone who has donated funds, supplies, or their time to help our communities rebuild. Our hearts are with our Florida family. We are committed to helping in this crucial time of healing and rebuilding.’
For more information, visit www.trulieve.com.
