TAMPA, Fla. — As the recovery continues from last year's hurricanes, volunteers are putting down roots as they prepare to help for the foreseeable future.

Help continues for the families affected by Hurricane Milton, and the volunteers who help keep the doors open say there’s still a lot to be done.

“Right now, we’re needing donations of food, diapers and wipes,” says Graciela Rheben.

She is the founder of Standard Community Help, a group that formed after Milton to support families living in The Standard Apartments in Clearwater with food and other necessities.

But there have been some challenges, Rheben says.

“Right now, unfortunately, we’re not getting enough donations and we’ve had to reduce our hours to just Fridays.”

But she says the need is still there.

Rheben says volunteers have served more than 1,000 families. She says they’ve transitioned from handing things out right outside the apartment complex to a more stable location at a church, "Iglesia Pentecostal Mision Getsemani" in Clearwater.

“There’s still a lot of families that are still looking for work or are looking for a place to live, and with things being pricey this is a big help to them,” she said.

Rheben says many of the families who were displaced didn’t know where to turn. She says people wanted to help but that it needed to be an organized effort.

So, what started off as a table with some coffee outside the complex has now transitioned into something bigger. 

“I didn’t go as part of an organization that day,” she said. “I took what I could to help and now I am continuing to support those families.”

She is hoping to create a space for families to feel at home as they get back on their feet.