How to Help Western North Carolina Hurricane Helene Relief Efforts

My heart has been heavy since Hurricane Helene ravaged Western North Carolina, but I’ve also been so encouraged by the generosity and service of SO many of you! My husband grew up in Boone, his parents still live there, and we have a place up there where we love to spend time. Western North Carolina is such a special place to us and many of you.

In the early days of the storm, your donations alone filled three trucks with supplies for Boone and Banner Elk. Seeing our community step up to help in such a huge way touched me. Now that winter has arrived and the holidays are near, I wanted to share an updated list of places you can support that bring hope and relief to WNC.

The need is still so great and many people are still not back in their homes. I’ve heard stories (not rumors — actual confirmed stories from social workers I know in Boone) of families camping next to their homes because they are still unliveable. If you have been to WNC, you know how cold it can get, especially by the water and when the wind hits. I can’t fathom what some families are going through.

So, let’s step up again, especially during the holiday season.

How to Help Western North Carolina Hurricane Helene Relief Efforts

The first two links are the MOST IMPORTANT! I’ve volunteered our community to adopt two different families for Christmas. This means clearing their Amazon Wishlists below – and I know we can do it! Once those two lists are cleared, if your family wants to adopt another, join this Facebook group!

Adopt a Family in WNC

Family #1 – Single mom, Sharenequa, with two kids, Kaylee (age 10) and Messiah (age 12). See their wishlist here.

Family #2 – Mom, Lori, to three kids. Two boys (age 10 and 11) and a girl (age 4). They lost all their clothing in their basement due to flooding. See their wishlist here.

5 Other Ways to Help WNC During the Holiday Season

1 – Buy gift cards! The hurricane hit during one of their busiest seasons all year — tourism is a huge revenue drive in the High Country and October tourism was all but gone. I have blog posts on Boone restaurants and retailers and another one with Blowing Rock businesses, so visit those posts and pick a few businesses to buy gift cards to and save for another day. (If they don’t have gift cards available on their website, call the business and purchase over the phone.)

Or, if you aren’t local, feel free to buy a gift card and mail it to me and I’ll donate them to people in need. (Just leave a comment if you want to go that way, and I’ll follow up with you.) The Banner Elk and Newland areas were hit especially hard, and I know that Reid’s Cafe, The Tin Trout and Carolina Pizza Co could very much use the help.

2 – Avery County Holiday Toy Drive – Amazon wishlist where you can shop and ship directly to Ski Country Sports, Banner Elk, NC. Details here.

3 – Nativity Scene Collection – This is an Amazon wishlist where you can order nativity scenes and have them shipped directly! Choose “gift registry address” for shipping. Details here.

4 – Clothes, Shoes, & Bedding Drive – This is local to the Triad NC area. They accept gently used clothes, shoes, and bedding to take to Western NC. There are a handful of drop-off locations! Details here.

5 – Christmas Wreaths by Raleigh Adams – My BIL is making gorgeous wreaths you can order for Christmas. $20 of each sale will go to Ground Effects, a North Carolina-based landscape company working to assist families with fallen trees and debris removal. See my wreath here!