I’ve been asked several times since Helene which organizations have been the most helpful here, and I’m going to try to answer that question in this post. Hopefully, without rambling too much.
Photo Credit Here |
Please remember, though, that I’m one person in one little piece
of western North Carolina. There are
over 20 counties in NC alone that were badly affected by Hurricane Helene. I don’t work in emergency management, and I
have no experience in responding to disasters.
I’m just one person sharing my observations. If you’ve visited much before, it probably
won’t come as a surprise that most of the links I share will be for animal
rescues, feeding people, and helping first responders. Those are some of the things I care most
about.
Please also remember that the entire western part of the
state was affected. There are
significant terrain and elevation changes between some of the counties affected. In addition to experiencing differing levels
of damage, different places are dealing with different types of weather after
the event. If one local organization has
a particular need, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the entire area will have
the same need.
I encourage anyone who plans to donate, particularly money,
to do your homework. Visit Charity Navigator, listen to your instincts, and think about what you’re passionate
about.
My first suggestion is that, unless you are in direct
contact with an individual and/or organization in the affected area, don’t purchase
supplies, especially now. From what I’ve
observed, it looks like everyone’s first impulse is to run out and buy bottled
water to donate. And that is wonderful. To a point.
Things and needs change incredibly quickly during and after a
disaster. Distribution sites
change. I know that early on, bottled water
was hard to get and desperately needed. The thought behind the businesses and individuals
that gathered bottled water (and diapers, and hygiene supplies) was very kind
and well-intentioned. Unfortunately, it
seemed like most donations of specific items were arriving one to two weeks
after they were most needed. Places were
literally tripping over cases of bottled water when they desperately needed
propane, charcoal, or medical supplies.
It was incredibly frustrating to see people who had driven
twelve or more hours with carloads or truckloads of supplies being turned away
from donation sites. I think that also sent
the message that things were fine when that absolutely wasn’t the case. It wasn’t a case of people not wanting help
or donations. It was simply a matter of
space and resources. Most donation and
distribution sites were set up at businesses, churches, or government buildings,
and due to the damage, there were limited buildings intact and accessible. A lot of those places were still trying to go
about their normal (and necessary) business while trying to find space for and distribute
supplies. Fire codes still had to be
adhered to. It doesn’t matter if it’s a
pallet of bottled water, it still can’t block exits and fire escapes.
I don’t mean to sound ungrateful at all. And, honestly, before experiencing this, I
was one of the people who thought dropping off bottled water, pet food,
feminine hygiene products, etc. at donation drives was a great way to
help. After seeing how long it took to
get things distributed, I don’t think that’s the best way to help.
If donating physical items is something you feel strongly
about, I recommend trying to get in touch with a local organization to find out
what their real-time needs are. And be
realistic about how long it will take to get supplies to them.
My next suggestion is to visit Charity Navigator. There’s a section specifically for Hurricane Helene relief. You can see the rating
for each organization and most have links to their websites.
My third suggestion is to be very specific. What is important to you? Are you worried about people going
hungry? Donate to a food pantry. Are you worried about animals? Donate to an animal rescue. (There are many, many animal rescues in this
area, but I’m not familiar with all of them.
These are the ones I’m familiar with and can recommend: Brother Wolf Animal Rescue, Blue Ridge Humane, and Asheville Humane Society.
Again, this list does not include every local shelter and animal rescue.) Do you have a particular concern for the medically
fragile/vulnerable? Look for an
organization that’s providing medical aid.
Tara came from one of these shelters. |
So did Charlie and Mortimer.
My next suggestion is to think small. I know that sounds counterintuitive when the
damage is so massive and the recovery efforts are going to take labor and amounts
of money that I have a hard time comprehending.
It’s overwhelming to think about that, though, and it can drive you
crazy.
From my experience, it was the small efforts that did and
are doing the most good. Local churches
did a great job of getting people fed and supplying water. Most of the fallen trees in our neighborhood
were cleared by individuals long before any official assistance showed up. I realize that finding smaller efforts to donate
to is more challenging. I know there’s
not a great way to vet each fundraiser, but I’d recommend visiting
GoFundMe. There’s a filter for Hurricane Helene relief, and you can filter it down even more from there. I’ve spent some time browsing the fundraisers
there in looking for links to share with this post. Honestly, some of them sound like scams to
me. Some of them seem well-intentioned,
but not practical or well-planned. Some
seem entirely legitimate, there are quite a few for and/or set up by people I
know personally, and I know they’re legitimate. Ours is there too, to help replace our furnace. So, how do you
know which ones are real and which ones aren’t?
I don’t have a definite, foolproof answer to that. My suggestion is to look carefully at the information
provided. Was someone willing to put
their name on it? What do you find when
you Google that name? What do you find
if you search that name on Facebook? Do an
image search for the pictures to see if they show up anywhere else. How specific is the request? Personally, I find the vague “a family needs
money after the hurricane” ones to be a little suspicious. In my opinion, the real ones are usually very
specific about helping a specific person/family with a very particular need. If it’s a group or individual raising money
for others, what is their exact plan for that money? I think it’s also important to look at what
skills they claim to bring to the table.
If a big part of the fundraiser is for travel expenses for the group,
and they don’t have very specific skills related to rebuilding, in my opinion,
there are more effective things to donate money to.
I do want to clarify that we live in a small town and lots
of people know each other, so someone else’s experience of smaller, less formal
efforts versus larger organizations may be different. I’m basing it on my observations of who
helped in our neighborhood, who helped people I know, and who helped the fire
departments and other first responders. When
one of the fire departments here was running out of food, it was individuals
who took care of it. One of Nick’s
retired coworkers was determined to make sure the fire department didn’t run out
of food. He hitched a trailer to his pickup
truck, took his chainsaw, and cut his way down to SC to buy food and gas.
This segues nicely into my next suggestion, which is to
support the local fire departments and rescue squads. A lot of these departments are tiny and this
will have wiped out their budgets. Many departments
lost equipment and stations. They were also the ones going out and rescuing people.
Here’s a list of the counties and towns affected. I know it takes time, but look up the fire
departments, rescue squads, and police departments/sheriff’s offices in these
counties and towns. These are the people
who were out there literally saving lives, and they were doing it while dealing
with significant damage to their own homes, in some cases going days without
being able to reach their own families.
Nick works in the emergency services, and I can tell you he didn’t miss
any work. These people were working
around the clock. Some of these agencies
have set up relief funds for responders who are dealing with significant
damage. I know I’m a little biased, but
I think it makes sense to help the helpers.
Here’s a link for the Western NC Association of Firefighters in case it’s helpful to anyone.
Another way to help that
doesn’t cost anything is to contact your congressperson and let them know that
getting funding for SBA loans is something that’s important to you. In case you’re not familiar (I wasn’t before
this happened), they’re not just for small businesses. Homeowners in affected areas can also apply
for these loans for necessary repairs. They
have better interest rates and overall better repayment options than typical
personal or HELOC loans, which helps make the aftermath a little less devastating. Unfortunately, because there’s no funding
right now, anyone who didn’t get assistance from FEMA is left with only typical
loan options like personal loans or HELOC loans. Letting your congressperson know that this funding
is important to you could help.
One more no-cost way to help
is to share links for organizations and fundraisers that are helping. As many people have mentioned, western NC isn’t
in the news much now. If you come across
an organization/relief effort that resonates with you, consider sharing it with
your friends, family, and social media contacts.
Photo Credit Here |
Finally, I have a few kind of miscellaneous suggestions:
My neighbor, Elizabeth, put
together a Spotify playlist of western NC musicians as a way to help support
them. She’s part of Moonshine State on
the list.
If you have visited western
NC and liked a particular business, look them up. If they’re closed due to damage, see if there
are any fundraisers to support them and their reopening.
I do not know anything about
them and cannot personally vouch for them, but while I was searching for links
for this post I came across the Hospitality Workers Relief Fund. Again, I’m not personally familiar, so do
your own research and make your own decisions.
Finally, please know how much your help is appreciated. It’s an entirely different experience being one of the people asking for help rather than someone trying to provide help. It’s hard to describe all of the feelings that come along with it, but I can tell you that it means the world to know that people, in some cases total strangers, care.
Thank you.
Photo Credit Here |