Gronkowski foundation donates to Tampa Bay storm recovery

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Rob Gronkowski’s Gronk Nation Youth Foundation has donated $315,000 to support long-term storm recovery efforts in the Tampa Bay area. The funds were given to the Tampa Bay Resiliency Fund, a regional collaboration focused on disaster relief and recovery.

The donation includes $115,000 raised through a GoFundMe campaign organized by the nonprofit, $100,000 directly from Gronkowski himself and $100,000 from Chris Burch, who is Gronkowski’s partner in Greenlane, a healthy fast food chain with a St Petersburg location at 8001 4th St N.

The Tampa Bay Resiliency Fund is a joint effort between Allegany Franciscan Ministries, the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, the Pinellas Community Foundation and United Way Suncoast. It focuses on sustained disaster recovery for vulnerable populations in the region.

According to the organizations involved, the new funds will be used for a range of recovery and preparedness efforts. These include:

• Providing expanded food assistance to families displaced by storms or living in damaged homes
• Installing generators at key service organizations to ensure uninterrupted operations during future storms
• Repairing facilities serving neurodiverse children and young adults
• Supporting foster youth who are aging out of care and still facing storm-related challenges
• Distributing disaster preparedness kits to families with newborns

Duggan Cooley, CEO of the Pinellas Community Foundation, emphasized the importance of continued funding even the months after a disaster. “Many people respond right after a storm, and about 90% of the funding that comes goes to immediate recovery, but the road to recovery is long,” Cooley said in a prepared statement. “We kind of forget it when it’s not top of mind, but that 10% that is left over for long term recovery isn’t enough, so continued support now in later phases of recovery is crucial.”

Gronkowski said the gift aligns with his broader goals of helping youth and communities. The foundation supports youth through grants to sports programs and community engagement focused on education and fitness. He credited his parents, as well as New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and the Patriots Foundation, with instilling the importance of giving back. 

Cooley thanked Gronkowski for the gift, adding there is also “wonderful benefit in (Gronkowski) inspiring others to give.” Cooley said he believes others have stepped up following Gronkowski’s example.