Step Up Suncoast

We're celebrating School Lunch Hero Appreciation Day and the nutrition managers, cooks, and transporters who keep our kitchens running and our students fueled for success! This dedicated team plans, cooks, and transports a wide variety of nutritious meals to over 600 students daily! 🧑‍🍳🍽️

Students at our Rise and Shine Early Learning centers receive breakfast, lunch, and snack every school day — that's over 1,800 dishes prepared and delivered daily!

We highlighted our appreciation for them in true Mario style because they are the real superstars of our food world! 🍄🍌⭐

Did you know we have been nominated for "Best Nonprofit Organization" in ? We would love to have your support! Vote for us once daily at https://www.votebradenton.com/ through Friday, May 8. You can vote for nonprofit organizations running under the "Services" category.

There are so many reasons to vote for Step Up Suncoast--our amazing staff, our supportive services, and so much more! Let us know why you're voting for Step Up Suncoast in the comments.

We're celebrating Home Visiting Week! Thank you to Manatee County, Florida Government for recognizing the importance of home visiting!

So what is home visiting?

Home visiting connects pregnant individuals and families with young children to trained family support professionals who provide customized coaching and guidance through pregnancy and/or the early stages of a child’s development. Utilizing a variety of research-based models, home visiting supports healthy birth outcomes, increases family self-sufficiency, and helps children enter school fully prepared to succeed!

Step Up Suncoast, Inc. is proud to host four home visiting programs: Parents as Teachers, Healthy Families, Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY), and Healthy Start. There are a variety of other home visiting models across Manatee County, hosted by organizations like Parenting Matters, Safe Children Coalition, and Gulf Central Early Steps. With referral partners across our community, like Whole Child Manatee, it's never been easier to get connected with a home visiting program to help your family thrive!

Take a look within and join us at our event this Saturday, April 18. From 10am to noon, children of all ages can participate in a number of activities that encourage self-reflection, including self-portrait painting and mirror play. We'll be at DeSoto County Library, located at 125 Hillsborough Ave, Arcadia, FL 34266.

This year’s Giving Challenge was a powerful demonstration of what community can do. 72 donors supported our mission by donating $7,527 in just 24 hours. With the generous match from The Patterson Foundation, that brings the total to $13,380 raised!

Because of supporters like you:
• Children are receiving high-quality early education
• Parents are gaining tools to support their families
• Households are moving toward long-term self-sufficiency

From all of us at Step Up Suncoast, thank you for showing up for our community.

Just 1 hour left to join in the fun and donate during the Giving Challenge! 🕺🪩
Over the past 23 hours, our community has united around causes that matter to them. We hope you choose to Step Up Suncoast's mission before it's too late to double your impact with the Patterson Foundation's generous 1:1 match on gifts of $25 to $100.

Make your gift at https://www.givingchallenge.org/organizations/step-up-suncoast-inc

The 2026 Giving Challenge is presented by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, with giving strengthened by The Patterson Foundation.

Will you be joining us for our Party in the Park? 🤸 This Saturday, April 18, the Manatee Home Visiting Coalition is hosting a perfect for families with preschool-aged children. There will be snacks, crafts, musical motion, and giveaways. We hope to see you at 17th Street Park in Palmetto between 10am and 1pm.

The Giving Challenge has officially begun!
For the next 24 hours, you have the opportunity to double your impact for families across the Suncoast. Step Up Suncoast transforms the lives of more than 8,000 people annually who live in cities, rural areas, suburbs, and towns across Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee, Manatee, and Sarasota counties.

Today, as we see the unmet needs of families and individuals in our communities increasing, it's up to you to step up, , and make our community stronger. A gift to Step Up Suncoast helps working families, parents, and seniors gain self-sufficiency for themselves and future generations. During the Giving Challenge, The Patterson Foundation will generously contribute a 1:1 match for donations, up to $100 per donor, per nonprofit!

We're asking you to share this opportunity with your friends and family, and to tell them why Step Up Suncoast is so important to you. Together, we can reach our goal of $3,000 during

The 2026 Giving Challenge is presented by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, with giving strengthened by The Patterson Foundation.

Support Step Up Suncoast Inc | Giving Challenge I’m ready to support Step Up Suncoast Inc on April 15, 2026 during Giving Challenge . Learn more about Step Up Suncoast Inc and all the other organizations participating in Giving Challenge .

The Giving Challenge begins tomorrow, April 15, at noon!
We need your help to reach our goal of $3,000! Please tell your friends and family about the important work we do and ask them to join us in making a difference. Share this post, text your friends, connect however you'd like — as long as you're sharing what we are doing in our community and what it means to you.

Every year, Step Up Suncoast provides thousands of families across Manatee, Hardee, Desoto, Sarasota, and Charlotte counties with education, support, and resources. We establish a strong foundation for learning and nurture healthy habits for our youngest little community members, while ensuring adults and seniors have access to short-term help and guidance to achieve long-term self-sufficiency. With your help, we will continue to stabilize local families and make our community better!

All giving will end at 12:00 PM on April 16, so make sure to get your gift in on time!
The Patterson Foundation will generously contribute a 1:1 match for donations, up to $100 per donor, per nonprofit, made online during the Giving Challenge! The 2026 Giving Challenge is presented by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, with giving strengthened by The Patterson Foundation.