Hill Country residents banded together, gathering supplies and relief funds to support Hurricane Helene victims in North Carolina.
Hurricane Helene was a Category 4 storm that wreaked havoc on the southeastern coast in late September. Shortly after, in early October, Hurricane Milton, a Category 5 hurricane, touched down in Florida. Following the impact of the storms, North Carolina experienced intense flooding that devastated entire communities. The severe destruction of infrastructure left many families without access to food, water, or power.
Watching the tragedy thousands miles away, K’STAR Financial Officer Leigh Palmer wanted to find a way to help. In the midst of slowing down operations at STAR’s Thrift Shop for an eventual closure, Palmer suggested the business donate what clothing they had left to hurricane victims. Feeling drawn to help, K’STAR Operations Coordinator Sergio Mennella volunteered to make the lengthy drive.
However, when reaching out to the emergency management coordinators in North Carolina, they were alerted that no used-clothing donations would be accepted since there was no way for them to be washed without water or power.
Instead, the coordinators supplied detailed and specific lists of items that were able to be accepted. Despite a hiccup in the original plans, Mennella connected with local radio group, JAM Broadcasting, to raise awareness about item donations.
“I really wanted to help, so I volunteered to drive to North Carolina to deliver items to the folks in need there. I went to Justin McClure at JAM Broadcasting to ask for donations from the community on the radio, and a few hours later he called and told me he wanted to go with me,” said Mennella.
After getting the word out, the Hill Country community rallied quickly, with compassion and donations for those affected by the storms and flooding. JAM Broadcasting acted as a drop-off location for items, then McClure reached out to KK Welch of Fredericksburg to set up a drop-off at her business, Western Edge.
“We thought, if we’re going to go, we might as well go big. So we started getting on the radio and talking about collecting donations at those two locations. We had a 12-foot trailer that you could not fit another item in, with stoves, fuel canisters, medical supplies, and 800 pounds of dog food donated by Kerrville Pets Alive,” said McClure.
“People started pouring in with donations. It was extremely moving and I felt blessed that I was able to be a part of this and contribute,” said Mennella.
After collecting donations, the duo headed east with the trailer of donations.
“The trip was rough, Justin drove the whole way up there, 23 hours of driving. We kept saying to ourselves how blessed we felt to be able to serve these people who desperately needed it.”
Making a pitstop in South Carolina, the pair met up with Officer Godlock, a police officer that was organizing and dispersing supplies for multiple locations in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
“We unloaded all the items from our trailer into Officer Godlock’s yard, and they divided those items up into different locations that we were to deliver the next day,” said McClure.
The next day, McClure and Mennella drove to three different locations in North Carolina to deliver relief; Asheville, Bakersville, and Ledger.
“By the time we got to Ledger, most of our items were already gone. We ended up raising around $6,000 in monetary donations, so we gave the funds to the Ledger Volunteer Fire Department so they can purchase fuel oil for the residents’ heaters and stoves.” said McClure.
In just a few days, the Hill Country community garnered a support strong enough to fill a trailer and truck bed with relief supplies for our eastern neighbors.
“The people in North Carolina who went through the hurricane said they didn’t need people to stand back and feel sorry for them, they needed people to get up and come and help them. So that’s why we did what we did, by raising donations and sending representatives from those communities to show that we’ve got their backs,” said McClure.
For more information regarding what you can do to help provide relief for hurricane victims, visit the American Red Cross’ website at: https://www.redcross.org/about-us/our-work/disaster-relief/hurricane-relief/hurricane-helene.html.