As cleanup continues in the Florida panhandle in the wake of Hurricane Michael, fishing rod manufacturer Ark Rods and pro angler Randall Tharp, a resident of Port St. Joe, one of the communities devastated by the storm, are teaming up in an effort to raise funds for those in need.
"On the opposite end of the Florida panhandle, we at Ark Rods were fortunate to be located out of harm’s way, but the hurricane’s devastation to others still blew us away,” said Louie Zhang, founder of Ark Rods.
Tharp's home in Port St. Joe suffered more than $40,000 in damage and after a fundraising effort was started to help offset those costs, the Tharps felt the need to give back.
“There are thousands of families that have been displaced from their homes, because their houses were total losses, if not seriously damaged,” said Tharp. “The rebuilding of our community could take years … I just feel fortunate that we have a home.
“I know that buying a hat may not seem like a huge donation, but any help is some help for the volunteers that are on the ground, helping rebuild our community in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael.”
For a limited time, all proceeds from the Honey Badger Tharp Series Snapback Hat will be donated to the Florida Disaster Fund, the state’s official fund to help communities recover from disasters. The fund is administered by the Volunteer Florida Foundation. Volunteer Florida is the state’s lead agency for volunteers and donations before, during, and after disasters.
You can learn more about Volunteer Florida at www.volunteerflorida.org/about/.
