“When we first started Mental Health Wednesdays after Hurricane Ian, it was because we saw something that wasn’t being talked about enough,” says Maria Espinoza, Executive Director of FISH OF SANCAP. “People were struggling — not just with flooded homes and financial setbacks — but with fear, anxiety, and trauma that remained long after the storms moved on.”
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can affect anyone who’s lived through a traumatic event, including natural disasters like hurricanes. National studies show that while around 7-8% of Americans will experience PTSD at some point, those numbers jump dramatically after disasters — with estimates of 30-40% of survivors experiencing ongoing symptoms such as anxiety, panic attacks, flashbacks, or depression.i
“Each year when hurricane season begins, and every time a storm starts brewing in the Gulf, the anxiety creeps back in,” adds Espinoza. “You see it in our seniors, our children, our business owners, our first responders and our own team members — it impacts everyone in different ways. And after multiple hurricanes in just a few years, that toll adds up.”
That’s why FISH enhanced its services to include free, confidential counseling through Mental Health Wednesdays, offering a safe space for islanders to talk, process, and begin healing. Partnering with licensed counselors from SalusCare, FISH helps ensure that those who need support can get it — whether they’ve never sought counseling before or just need someone to talk to who understands.
As the new hurricane season begins, FISH wants the community to know they’re not alone. “Mental health matters,” says Espinoza. “It’s just as important as repairing a roof or replacing a car. And reaching out for help is the first step to healing.”
For over four decades, FISH OF SANCAP has stood alongside the community through gray skies and blue, offering food, financial assistance, senior support, disaster recovery, and mental health services. As PTSD Awareness Month reminds us, healing takes time — and neighbors helping neighbors is at the heart of it all.
To learn more about the programs of FISH or to support their mission, please contact Maria Espinoza, Executive Director.
About FISH:
FISH of Sanibel-Captiva has been a ‘neighbors helping neighbors’ organization on Sanibel and Captiva for over 40 years. As a social service organization, FISH has been ground zero, in recent years, from natural and environmental crises to the impacts of COVID and now, for catastrophic Hurricane Ian. FISH offers something for everyone—if there is not a service in place for unmet needs of community members, they work to meet it through their expansive regional network. In addition to their Long-Term Recovery program, FISH continues to offer programs representing their four major pillars – Food, Island Based Education, Social and Senior Services, and Helping Hands.
Although FISH has grown from the grassroots organization it started as, it still remains a network of ‘neighbors helping neighbors’; a group of community members committed to the betterment of the islands and southwest Florida community by assisting one
neighbor at a time. FISH is proud to say that 88 percent of every dollar donated goes directly to programs and services including but not limited to:
· Long-Term disaster recovery
· Emergency financial assistance
· Food pantry
· Non-emergency transport
· Temporary loan of health equipment
· Hurricane preparedness information
· Daily hot meals program
More information about FISH is available online at fishofsancap.org, as well as Facebook and Instagram. For details about hurricane recovery and other services, contact Maria Espinoza, FISH Executive Director, at (239) 472-4775.
