Bank of the Islands Is Presenting Sponsor of CROW’s Taste of the Islands

provided to The Santiva Chronicle

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) welcomes Bank of the Islands/Edison National Bank as the returning Presenting Sponsor for the 42nd Taste of the Islands. This marks the bank’s fourteenth year as the Presenting Sponsor of CROW’s signature event.

As Sanibel continues to rebuild from the devasting effects of Hurricane Ian, CROW is hosting Taste of Islands – REBUILDING. This event is aimed to aid in the recovery of CROW, Sanibel and Captiva Island restaurants, and the Sanibel community.

“We are honored to continue to support Taste of the Islands again this year as our islands and our community rebuilds. CROW’s mission is vital to the essence of Southwest Florida and we see how important their work is after Hurricane Ian,” says Geoff Roepstorff, CEO of Bank of the Islands/Edison National Bank.

The entire event will be held November 5-19. This year, participating off island restaurants will be supporting CROW for the first week and the traditional on island restaurants will participate for the second week of Taste of the Islands. On island, Taste of the Islands will be held November 13 – 19 with the CROW ‘Crawl’ on November 18, encouraging patrons to visit the CROW Ambassador Tent and get a ‘taste’ of special dining opportunities on Sanibel and Captiva Islands.

The CROW Ambassador tent and a few ambassadors at past Taste of the Islands. Photos provided

“Our islands are rebuilding. CROW is rebuilding. Taste of the Islands 2023 will definitely show the resilience of our local community.” says Alison Charney Hussey, Executive Director of CROW. “CROW needs our community’s support to rebuild what Hurricane Ian destroyed and our restaurant partners need it too. We’re so blessed that many restaurants are open and ready for patrons to enjoy and that our off-island restaurant supporters are getting to join in the fun.”

CROW will offer physical and digital copies of the “Taste Passport” this year. These passports include a list of participating restaurants, advertising for local businesses, and a QR code linking to people’s choice award voting page. Passports will be available at participating off island restaurants, CROW’s Visitor and Education Center, and Bank of the Islands on Sanibel.

Proceeds from Taste of the Islands go towards CROW’s mission of saving wildlife through state-of-the-art veterinary care and rebuilding efforts post-hurricane.

For more information about Taste, sponsorships, advertisements, or to become a participating restaurant, please contact Development at development@crowclinic.org.

About Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW)
Established in 1968, the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) is a teaching hospital saving the sick, injured and orphaned native and migratory wildlife of Southwest Florida and beyond. Through state-of-the-art veterinary care, public education programs and an engaging visitor center, CROW works to improve the health of the environment, humans and our animals through wildlife medicine. For more information, or to plan your visit, go to www.crowclinic.org. If you find an animal that is in need of help, call (239) 472-3644 ext. 222.

About Bank of the Islands
Bank of the Islands, a name synonymous with island community banking since 1974, is located at 1699 Periwinkle Way, at the corner of Casa Ybel Road, on Sanibel. The Captiva office is at 14812 Captiva Drive, next to the Captiva Post Office. As the oldest locally owned and managed community bank on the islands, Bank of the Islands is proud to be the winner of more than 50 “Best of the Islands” awards over two decades. To learn more, visit www.bankoftheislands.com.