Support Keeping the Cuties on Anna Maria Island

This is Jennifer, your Cheesecake Cutie!

Many are familiar with our story, which is deeply rooted in faith. This foundation has guided us to Anna Maria Island, where we opened our doors 3.5 years ago, navigating the challenges posed by COVID-19. Although the journey has not been easy, we have successfully established a wonderful store and brand. We take great joy in welcoming others into our family through our culinary creations. Our cheesecakes, a cherished recipe passed down from my mother, have been in our family for 40 years. We are proud to have been recognized as Small Business of the Year for 2024, among other honors.

Unfortunately, Anna Maria Island has been significantly impacted by Hurricane Helene. While our plaza sustained no damage, we feel a profound sense of survivor's guilt. **Our business is facing a severe downturn as our success relies on visitors to our beautiful island, which is currently in distress.**

Why are we initiating a GoFundMe campaign? Our landlord has informed us that they will not assist with our rent, despite our revenue being completely halted due to the absence of visitors. Our operation is small—comprising myself, my husband, a single mother, and one additional employee. We hope to provide hours for our staff, but the drastic reduction in visitors limits our ability to do so. We have also suffered a large amount of product loss over 3 separate occasions, loss of our walk-in, and a freezer.

We recognize the blessings we have, yet we are committed to ensuring our ability to serve our community. **To avoid potential legal action from our landlord, we may be forced to declare bankruptcy, both personally and for the business, should we be unable to sustain operations. We also have children in both high school and middle school to support.**

We do not wish to take advantage of anyone; we simply appreciate any consideration for support.

Thank you very much for your kindness!