FORT MYERS, Fla. – Over the course of a roughly two-and-a-half hour drive from Miami to Fort Myers, it becomes apparent where Hurricane Ian began to strike Florida.
Entering Fort Myers’ city limits, there are signs with letters blown backward or completely off. Debris lines the sidewalk, at this point compiled as neatly as possible for pickup. Boats have washed ashore. Barren trees occupy otherwise empty parking lots. The palm trees that managed to keep their branches are hunched over, still weary two weeks later from the beating from the Category 4 storm.
It’s the view Miami Dolphins rookie ZaQuandre White sees frequently as he makes the trip between his new city and his hometown.
The running back grew up in Cape Coral and went to high school in North Fort Myers – both areas heavily impacted by Hurricane Ian in September. White did his part to show his community he hasn’t forgotten it Tuesday, when White and several Dolphins teammates and staff handed out supplies, food and water to those in need at North Fort Myers High School.
A great day giving back to the Southwest Florida community 🧡
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) October 11, 2022
Thank you to @Iam_ZWhite's high school @NorthFtMyersHS, @WCKitchen, @reggaebeets and Fry Head for helping us distribute 3,000 meals and recovery supplies to those affected by Hurricane Ian! 🙌 #FootballUnites pic.twitter.com/sf2i87YDbl
His parents’ home wasn’t destroyed, but many other families in Ft. Myers weren’t so lucky. White had tried to help in the days following the hurricane, and his teammates joined in his efforts, raising $33,000 for supplies.
“[My parents] just started telling me the storm was getting worse, they lost power for about two weeks,” White said. “Just hearing that, you know, it hurt me. So I've been coming back home since the hurricane happened, just trying to do little stuff, and now that my teammates helped me donate a lot of money, we can give back to the community.”
In addition to the $33,000 Dolphins players raised, the organization and team owner Stephen Ross donated $50,000 and the NFL pitched in $75,000 for water, meals, cleaning supplies, diapers and household items. The funds also established a two-week feeding site in coordination with World Central Kitchen, which will offer meals from Dolphins Food Relief and minority-owned restaurant partners throughout Lee County for residents of the community.
The Dolphins also provided four generators for the high school, which has been without power since the storm hit Sept. 28.
On Tuesday, the group of Dolphins players including White, Raheem Mostert, Greg Little, Sam Eguavoen and the team’s entire 2022 rookie class joined with student-athletes from North Fort Myers High School and local volunteers to pass out 3,000 meals in a drive-thru service at the school.
Mostert, a native of Daytona Beach, Florida, is familiar with the lasting effects of a hurricane and feels a call to action whenever he’s in a position to help.
“You want to get involved as much as you can, as early as you can now and give back, because these people need it,” Mostert said. “I've been in that situation, where me and my family, we needed it. I remember Hurricane Katrina came through, and you know, it didn't really hit us hard like it did in New Orleans, but it definitely had an impact on us being in Daytona.
“Just the little things go a long way, and it is very important for everybody to give back. We all have to jell together in a time of need, and that's what we're doing.”
Mostert, White and Eguavoen helped direct traffic flow for most of the day, stopping periodically to take pictures with the people driving through.
The little moments may have temporarily disrupted traffic, but each stop was a reminder of how deeply they impacted a community looking for any reason to smile.
“Never gets old. I'm always a guy that loves to see a smile on people's faces, even through tough times,” Mostert said. “So it is very important that those things happen. You get a little emotionally connected, I guess you could say – at least for me to see somebody smile and have a good heart, even though they're going through rough times. To be able to put a smile on somebody's face, if I could do that for just one person, I know God put me here to do that."