In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.

Over the past several weeks, many of our nonprofit partners have transformed their operations to meet urgent new community needs. More so, they have done it amid staggering hits to their own operations, personnel and even future viability.

It has been inspiring to work with these organizations, as well as with the generous Gulf Coast donors who are co-investing in their innovations. Together, we have granted over $1.8 million these past few weeks to help strong nonprofits provide childcare for first responders, telemedicine and remote counseling for patients and basic needs like food for families of laid-off workers.

As demands on first responders and front-line healthcare workers increased, the closure of our schools left nowhere safe for many of their children during the day. The SKY Family YMCA and Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County both stepped up to help meet those dire childcare needs. SKY Y is providing all-day youth relief care at eight locations across three counties. Boys and Girls Clubs launched a First Responder Program with free childcare for Sarasota County Fire Department and Sheriff’s Office employees, Sarasota Memorial Hospital staff, and essential City of Sarasota workers. I love what SKY Y CEO Gene Jones told us: “Fighting this virus is a community effort, and those on the front lines cannot play their roles if we don’t play ours.”

Besides childcare, necessities like food and shelter have been among the most critical needs so far in this crisis. Almost 40% of the funding we’ve directed from our COVID-19 Response Initiative—a joint initiative with Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation—has been for such emergency aid. All Faiths Food Bank, the backbone of our region’s hunger-relief system, has transformed its operations and activated new collaborations to meet the growing need.

When physical distancing and sanitation guidelines stymied its traditional sorting and distribution approach, the Food Bank began building pre-packed boxes of food that can be distributed with bags of produce or meat. It also accelerated its Campaign Against Summer Hunger, so children who lost access to free or subsidized meals at school could still be fed. The Food Bank has partnered with the school district to help safely feed children at eight area schools, as well as through Boys & Girls Clubs, Children First, Girls Inc., and the Early Learning Coalition. Past innovations in its programs and partnerships made the Food Bank’s pivot possible, and I have no doubt that new lessons learned will only further enhance its service models.

Likely the biggest change many businesses have made is the shift to remote work environments. For health care and behavioral health providers, that means telemedicine and virtual counseling. Several of our partners have boldly made the move to maximize technology in order to sustain patient care. CenterPlace Health, which provides affordable healthcare in Sarasota County, quickly developed telehealth services so patients who experience symptoms, live in outbreak areas, or have ongoing medical issues can keep getting the quality care they need. First Step of Sarasota implemented virtual strategies for many of its addiction-recovery services too. By increasing its telehealth capabilities to 42 professionals, First Step has ensured that all of its programs remain operational.

Technology plus creativity is also sustaining vital social supports. Women’s Resource Center, for example, anticipates a whole new set of needs among women and their families because of this crisis. The agency has moved what counseling services it can to a virtual format. And it’s not just a stopgap. CEO Ashley Brown sees an opportunity for WRC to serve even more women by transforming the way it delivers its programming in the future. Talk about opportunity (for our community) out of chaos.

An interesting new article from McKinsey & Co. on planning for the “next normal” suggests that optimism and courage will be essential to the decision-making that shapes our future. From executive directors to support staff, our region’s nonprofit organizations are epitomizing those qualities, every day, in responding to urgent new community needs and preparing for those yet to come.

Mark Pritchett is president and CEO of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.