One Lee County resident felt the effects of Hurricane Ian but wanted to help others who lost almost everything.
Three people who fit that description, Tommie, Brea Buster and Mike Heidenreich, spent Sundays running a roadside hot dog stand at the Carl Drews Community Center just off Lee Road.
Busters and Heidenreich, who are neighbors in San Carlos Park, suffered some damage from Ian, but thought others had suffered much worse. They set up a grill and cornhole game and started cooking early on Sunday.
Against a backdrop of piles of dead trees and bushes, Heidenreich waved to passers-by on Lee Road and Sanibel Boulevard. He was asked why he gave up Sunday.
“Why not?” he replied. “I have a lot of friends in Fort Myers Beach.”
Heidenreich, who works for a pool company and is a volunteer with the nearby Felda Fire Department in Hendry County, said all his family lost was a swing and a few trees. He admitted that others have lost more.
“Other communities have been affected a little bit worse than us. Let’s get back to where we need it,” he said.
Buster’s home was relatively unscathed by Ian, but the couple feels the loss of their former community.
Tommy Buster grew up in Fort Myers Beach from the age of six, working in landscaping and restaurants on the barrier islands. I worked at several restaurants.
“DQ has been completely demolished and completely flattened,” she said, adding that the Snug Harbor owners want it rebuilt.
Tommy Buster added, “We used to spend every night there together.”
Three friends’ Lee Road Hot Dog and Chips BBQ initiative on Sunday was a donation-only effort that raised 200 ready-to-eat meals, several cases of water, and over $200. All of it is now assigned to Fort Myers Beach residents, many of whom have lost everything.
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