Oakes Family Relief Fund

Hello friends and family. My name is Sonya Jones and I have set up this account on behalf of my daughter, Tara Oakes and her husband, Mike Oakes.

As many of you know, Mike and Tara moved to Southwest Florida two years ago. They began leasing a small beachfront cottage on Fort Myers Beach last year, and did extensive improvements to turn it into their home. Unfortunately, they were among the millions of Florida residents directly affected by Hurricane Ian on September 28, 2022. As a category 4 storm and the 5th strongest hurricane to make landfall on the United States, Ian forced Mike and Tara to evacuate their home. They have been fortunate to find safety and shelter with their dogs Carter and Chloe at an AirBnB on Florida’s east coast.

As the hurricane reached Fort Myers, Mike and Tara were able to access their ring doorbell cameras before they lost power and watch as flooding and destruction began to devastate their home. Mike and Tara have since learned that their home has been completely destroyed. Their earthly possessions now consist of a small bag each of clothing that easily fit into the backseat of their vehicle. We praise God for protecting Mike and Tara and their dogs. We also know they have a long road ahead with many difficult decisions to make.

Their immediate needs are clothing, shoes, glasses/contacts, medicine, pet supplies, and toiletries. They are currently praying about a decision on housing for themselves. Not wanting to take available housing away from others in Fort Myers, they are considering purchasing a motor home, which is how they lived when they first moved to Florida before moving into their beachfront cottage. They lost all of their furniture and household items, so an RV would help solve that problem, as it would contain appliances and furniture.

Mike and Tara are very concerned for their fellow Fort Myers residents and have a strong desire to provide assistance to their community. Please be in prayer for them as they rebuild their lives, especially that their immediate and basic needs will be met, and that God will provide a path for their future with housing options. They also request prayer for their community and all of those affected by the devastation of Hurricane Ian.

Your donations are appreciated beyond what words can express. On behalf of Mike and Tara, and in the name of Jesus Christ, thank you for your prayers and assistance.