CEDAR KEY, Fla. — Cedar Key is a small, tight-knit community of just 700 full-time residents.

People on the island say when a storm comes through and their neighbors are in need, everyone is quick to band together to support each other. 

What You Need To Know

  •  Cedar Key churches have been working together to collect donations, serve hot meals and lift up residents after Idalia.

  •  Pastor Billy Dalton with First Baptist Church said they were able to also send supplies to other hard-hit areas like Horseshoe Beach and Steinhatchee. 

  •  Dalton will be leading a special service at 11 a.m. on Sunday for residents to gather and reflect.

As soon as Idalia settled on Wednesday afternoon, Pastor Billy Dalton with First Baptist Church Cedar Key sprung into action. The church has been collecting donations and serving three hot meals a day. People have been donating water bottles, pet food, gloves for cleanup and other necessities. 

"You’ll have somebody come up, they’ll drop off two and somebody right behind them will be grabbing three," Dalton said. "People are driving in from all over the state, even out of state, and delivering stuff so that’s fantastic."

Dalton said churches on the island are all working together to help get residents back on their feet. As residents begin to rebuild their lives, Dalton said he wants to be a light for the community and give them hope. 

“I think a lot of people go into despair, discouragement," he said. "Especially if you’ve poured your life into a business or you have your home and all these things –  and then those things are gone. Ultimately we need to say OK, we’re still here, we have our relationship with God, we have our relationship with one another. We’re going to come together, we’re going to be together. Don’t give up. Let’s keep going step by step.”

Dalton said so many donations have come in from people locally and in other areas of the state, that they've been able to send them to other hard-hit areas like Horseshoe Beach and Steinhachee. 

“For all these communities, it’s going to be a long process of rebuilding," he said. "I think sometimes we have a tendency to jump in and then something else happens and then people get forgotten. So, I just encourage people - thank you so much on the front end, and bear with us for the long term as well.”

Pastor Dalton held a special service at 11 a.m. on Sunday at First Baptist Church for the community to come together and reflect.