“ I see a coming together of people within the community . I see people outside the community coming in helping out and asking , ‘ What do you need ?’ So it brings out the humanity in people . Everybody seems to want to help ,” says David Ganzy , a lifelong local who received help repairing his home from The Sonder Project and was then inspired to spread the love and extend help to his neighbors .
With the support of volunteers , over 5,770 hours of neighbors helping neighbors has transpired since Hurricane Michael made landfall . Because of all of the generous donations , 189 homes have been strengthened and repaired , mountains of basic supplies have been distributed , and 3 homes are being rebuilt in the Springfield and Millville areas . And all the while , Sonder Project volunteers have prepared and provided countless hot meals to anyone and everyone in need . With every meal provided , with every roof tarped , with every tree limb removed , the Sonder Project volunteers also offered hope , healing , and heart-to-heart connections born of shared understanding . And because the holiday season was on the heels of the hurricane , 28 families were sponsored for Sonder Project ’ s Secret Santa for Christmas , including Celissia and her 5-year-old son . The organization was able to provide temporary housing for the mother-son duo while they gutted and repaired the family ’ s home . After some brief cameos from the Sonder Project , Celissia and her son have since returned home and they are back to starring in their own stories .
While we each have our own sonder story , unique and alongside our neighbor , the impacts of Hurricane Michael have reminded us to take the time to listen to our neighbor ’ s story and offer a helping hand . As long as neighbors are helping neighbors , our stories will intertwine and tell one story of humanity as a whole . The Sonder Project , still on the ground seeing relief efforts through to completion , is paving the way for that story … one neighbor at a time .
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