SARASOTA — Meshia Richardson sponsored a wreath for her husband, a Vietnam War veteran, but if the person who lies next to him at Sarasota National Cemetery doesn’t have one, she will place the wreath on the grave of that veteran instead.

“If I present a remembrance wreath to a veteran next to him, he’d be OK with it and so would I,” said Richardson, the location coordinator for Family & Friends of Sarasota National Cemetery’s Wreaths Across America group.

Groups across the state are experiencing a shortage of funds due to the devastating damage caused by hurricanes this year. As many as 3,000 veterans’ graves may not receive a wreath this year with less than two days left to make donations.

Wreaths Across America, a nonprofit group that also places flags on veterans’ graves on Memorial Day, said they have enough funds to cover 8,900 of the approximately 12,000 plots. Their deadline for sponsorship — individual or corporate — is midnight on Friday.

"The feeling of placing these wreaths, the purpose is to remember our veterans and their lives and honor their sacrifices to our country, and to teach our younger generation about our military and its place in history.

"It’s important in our veteran community that we honor all of our veterans laid at rest there."

Richardson said sponsors have been generous in the past, but Hurricane Irma, Harvey, and Maria, as well as other natural disasters across the country this year, have caused donors to redirect their funds for relief aid.

"We understand," Richardson said.

Individuals can purchase a wreath for $15 or three wreaths for $30, while corporate sponsorships are available for $100, $250, or $500. Go to sarasotawreaths.com.