After Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina, it didn’t take long for local individuals, churches and businesses to jump into action and start working on relief efforts. Dozens of people have spent hours and days collecting, sorting, and boxing goods, then hauling them to collection centers for distribution to victims of the disaster.

Cathy Farmer of Farmer’s Septic Service in Moon said her husband Allen walked in the morning of Monday, Sept. 30, just four days after the hurricane made landfall in Florida and began its deadly trek through Georgia and the Carolinas, and told her he was going to collect goods for the storm-ravaged Asheville area.

“He said ‘get the word out,’” said Cathy, and by that afternoon she had done her research to determine what items were needed and had posted a Hurricane Helene Support notice on Facebook.

“Our neighbors in Asheville, N.C., need our help after the devastation of Hurricane Helene, and we’re stepping up,” said the post. There was a list of items needed, and the deadline to make donations was Thursday, Oct. 3, with the delivery date set for the next day.

By Thursday, the Farmers’ two-car garage was filled with supplies—bottled water and non-perishable food items, diapers and dog food, hygiene and sanitation items, and much more. Cathy said that Sea Farms donated two pallets of water, while Capital Electric of Newport News donated one. Contractor David Lee Williams donated a pallet of charcoal for cooking.

Shannon French of Gloucester said she saw the Farmers’ post and decided to buy some items to donate. She put the word out to friends and neighbors, and by the time she got home, her porch was filled with donated items. She hauled those to Farmer’s Septic, then her church group decided to contribute, and she filled her SUV for yet another trip.

Cathy said on Thursday that Allen and some of his friends were making the delivery and were taking chainsaws along. She said they would stay and help out if they were needed. On top of that, they plan to continue making trips as long as necessary.

Roane’s Antiques

Janice Jones of Roane’s Antiques in Mathews said one of her employees is from Wilmington, North Carolina, and she told Janice that her church down there was taking donations for people impacted by the hurricane. With a son who lives near Black Mountain (but who came through the storm okay), Janice said she had visited the area many times and loves it.

“It’s very heartbreaking, and I take it very personal, and you just want to contribute,” she said.

She put out the word on Facebook that she would be collecting things at her shop on Mathews Main Street on Wednesday and Thursday, and within an hour or two, it had been shared over 40 times.

“I’m not one to sacrifice a lot of time, and I had work to do,” she said. “I thought, ‘What have I gotten myself into?’ But then I said, ‘I guess this is what you’re gonna do the next two days.’”

That night, Janice got a call from Mathews resident Calvin Morgan, who said he’d make the trip to deliver the goods.

“Calvin was a big lifesaver,” she said, adding that he parked his trailer on Main Street and the donations started rolling in. One woman brought in what looked like a month’s worth of groceries and goods, while an elderly lady made three trips to her car to bring everything she had purchased. Many of the items that couldn’t fit were taken to Farmer’s Septic, while a large load of water went to ETC. Vintage at Cobbs Creek which was making its own collection efforts.

The trailerful of goods was originally going to a church in Wilmington, said Janice, but through the Baptist network, she found out that Macon Baptist in Macon, North Carolina, just across the Virginia line, was doing the same thing.

“People’s biggest concern is if it will get to the people who need it,” she said. “You hate to be skeptical, but there is a small percent that’s racketeering. There’s a big focus on outreach at Macon Baptist Church, and I was comfortable with them.”

Janice said there’s now a push to collect cold weather items such as propane cylinders, hand warmers, camp stoves, blankets, coats, rubber boots, and other items that are waterproof and warm. She said that Amazon is making deliveries to the area, and people can purchase items and have them shipped. She said she had purchased five tool kits online and had them shipped to Macon, and they reached the church the next day. The other items needed can be shipped, as well.

“If every person ordered one pair of boots, how many pairs of boots would you have,” she said.

Janice said that anyone who wants to make a trip themselves should first contact the organization or individual at the intended destination to coordinate the drop-off time and location.

In addition, she said that Severn Church in Gloucester had “taken the ball” in organizing relief efforts.

“You just want to trust where it’s going,” she said.

Severn Church

Beth Bunting of Severn Church said when she saw Janice’s post on Facebook, she and other church members got together some items to send along. After delivering them, she said, “I was driving home, and I was excited, but it was like, that was that.”

Then Beth saw a post Janice made about Macon Baptist collecting the items, “and I wondered if our church could do that.”

She reached out to church leaders, and “Neal and Shirley Hogge ran with it.”

“The community support was beyond what we could imagine,” she said, adding that what began as a plan to fill one trailer “has multiplied into three trucks and a pickup truck with a long trailer.”

Bill Hudgins Automotive, the local GMC dealer, provided three vehicles and a collection site, and pretty soon, individuals and businesses were rolling in with water, diapers, wipes, baby formula, non-perishable foods, hygiene items, cleaning supplies, batteries, tools, and bigger items such as wheelchairs. One woman from Cobbs Creek even donated brand-new, beautiful quilts she had made by hand. The Other Moving Company donated boxes to pack it all in. Beth had asked five people to be at the dealership to help receive donations, but over 40 people showed up, all with little notice.

Before the collection began, Beth said she had heard rumors that government officials were hijacking supplies going into the devastated areas, but she said she reached out to Macon Baptist and found out that wasn’t the case. “It was all on the up-and-up, and items were directly getting to people,” she said.

“We never expected to be a part of this,” said Beth. “None of us are community organizers. One church member had some training as a former Social Services director, but a lot of us are just moms and grandmoms. It’s been amazing. It shows that God just takes the average person and equips us and uses us.”

Beth said she hopes her experience encourages other people to help.

“If all of us could just help in a small way, it’s better than nothing at all,” she said. “I want to inspire people to feel bold enough to do it.”

Southern States

Alex Kersmarki of Three Wishes Show Horses is a regular at the Southern States on Main Street in Gloucester, and she and store manager Candace Lawson have worked on a number of projects together. So, it just made sense for them to join forces to help get needed supplies to people in the areas impacted by Hurricane Helene.

On Oct. 1, they posted an appeal for items such as horse, dog and cat food; halters, lead lines and collars; clothing; canned goods; toiletries; baby items; and first aid items, and it didn’t take long for drop-offs to begin. Some people bought items at the store to be included, while others brought what they had, and within two days, one horse trailer was full and more were on the way. A whopping 10 pallets of grain was among the items donated.

One trailer contains clothes, first aid supplies, food, blankets, coats, and other items for humans, while another has feed, hay, corn and other items for livestock. Some donors have called in and ordered items, such as a pallet of feed, while others have brought in used horse supplies such as halters and blankets and hoof picks. Two children had a lemonade stand and used the proceeds to buy three 8-quart buckets and two vet wraps for horses.

Alex said on Tuesday morning that delivery will be this weekend, with human items going to a church and livestock items going to the equestrian center in Tryon, North Carolina.

“The community donated everything,” she said. “It’s an outpouring of people coming out to help.”

Other ways to help

Not everyone has the time to launch a collection effort, or even to go shopping for items to donate. That’s when providing cash to a trusted organization can make a difference. Among the many organizations that are accepting monetary donations and providing relief efforts are the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, and United Way.

Capt. Antiono Willis, commanding officer of the Salvation Army of the Virginia Peninsula, said the Hampton Command Center, which serves Gloucester and Mathews as well as the Peninsula, has sent a canteen truck to Georgia, where it has served over 7,000 meals in the past week, while the Potomac Division, which covers Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia, has served over 200,000 meals from 17 canteen trucks in areas impacted by the hurricane. The volunteers and staff members are also passing out household cleanup kits and providing emotional and spiritual care for victims of the disaster.

Starting this week, he said, 100 percent of all donations received will be used to provide financial assistance for people cleaning up, making minor repairs, or rebuilding after the storm. Donations can be made online at give.virginiasalvationarmy.org/give/302298/#!/donation/checkout.

Katie Niehoff, regional disaster officer for the Red Cross of Virginia, said the main focus of the organization right now is to make sure people have a safe place to sleep and food to eat. In addition to working in the areas already impacted, she said she’s currently in Florida preparing for Hurricane Milton. Because 70 Virginia volunteers have deployed to areas already impacted, Niehoff said the organization needs volunteers in this area to fill in. Another way to help is to donate blood. Blood drives in the impacted areas have been canceled, so there’s more of a need. Finally, she said that monetary donations are welcome at redcross.org/donate/donation.html.

Charvella West, CEO for United Way of the Virginia Peninsula, said that the United Way has dozens of drop-off locations for donated items in the affected areas. To help with a monetary donation, visit unitedwayswva.charityproud.org/donate.