Hurricane Helene brought extensive damage to East Tennessee and Western North Carolina this past September and was the deadliest storm in North Carolina’s state history.
North Carolina will still need help from volunteers for quite a while, said Julie Vandel, Director of Development for Feed America First, located in Rutherford County.
“It’s definitely going to be a long road ahead,” she said. “There is one community we have found in all our trips there where, last we heard, it might take a few more months for them to get running water and electricity. There are still a lot of people in North Carolina dealing with extensive damage, using generators, needing fresh water and all that.”
Vandel said it’s hard to quantify the damage because some areas are completely gone while others are getting back on their feet. In some of the harder-hit areas, it’s about losing everything and completely rebuilding.
“Donations of food and water are always going to be necessary, especially when people are rebuilding,” she said. “They are working with insurance companies to make claims and fix things. When you have all these additional expenses—even when it is normal everyday life and not a disaster—you pay your bills first and groceries are the last thing you budget for.
“So when people recover and deal with these expenses, then our first focus is to help them with is food.”
Feed America First regularly supplies food to food pantries across Tennessee and surrounding states. They are a large-scale operation, so thankfully they had the equipment they needed to help after Helene, Vandel said.
“We got a truck there the following Saturday,” Vandel said. “There were ways to get in—we actually had to go down the Tail of the Dragon [a stretch of US Highway 129 connecting Tennessee and North Carolina known for its curves]. It was tricky with a flatbed truck, but we made it in.”
Vandel said the storm was very personal, as she couldn’t reach a loved one there for over 18 hours.
“It was very scary,” she said. “We are kind of like a family at Feed America First. And we have had a lot of experience with disaster relief like Hurricane Harvey in Texas. So this is something we do regularly.”
Katie Peachey, Grants and Marketing Administrator at Beesley Animal Foundation, said they were not able to get into the area with their horse trailer, so they focused on delivery to shelters that were collecting pet food and supplies.
“Last time we were there the shelters were working to get it distributed,” Peachey said. “They were letting people come and get items to bring to the areas. The response was tremendous.”
Peachey says Beesley Animal Foundation will continue distributing pet food and supplies to the area for a long time.
“The food and supplies we need is not just for the shelters, it is for the people who can’t get out of their homes through the destruction,” she said.
Beesley Animal Foundation will post updates of needed food and supplies on their Facebook page; for updates on opportunities to donate through Feed America First, visit feedamericafirst.com and follow them on Facebook as well.
Other Ways to Help:
Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee is looking for volunteers to pack Disaster Relief Boxes. To volunteer, visit secondharvestmidtn.volunteerhub.com.
Help North Carolina with its recovery through the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund, managed by United Way of North Carolina. Donations can be made at nc.gov.donate and are being used to provide grants to nonprofits working directly in the impacted areas.
