Like many of our neighbors, we have been watching the sad news from Western North Carolina. We hope you and your families are safe. Hurricane Helene has caused significant damage, yet the true level of impact to our communities, local businesses, and ecosystems is weeks from being known.
Many of us are feeling worried and want to help. While there are many resources available for helping with recovery efforts, we’re offering a few here that caught our attention:
Give Money.
The best way to help right now is to donate to trusted disaster relief organizations or mutual aid groups already deployed in the area. Here’s a list we like. Triangle Community Foundation is matching donations made to the disaster relief funds with the NC Community Foundation and Community Foundation of Western NC.
Give Supplies.
Many local groups are collecting essential items such as non-perishable food, bottled water, first aid kits, and hygiene products. Triangle Mutual Aid has a list of places where you can drop off supplies. Since government officials have asked people to stay off the roads, it’s better to donate to a local drive instead of going out yourself.
Give Time.
You can help by volunteering at local supply drives or joining teams that are helping in the affected areas. For example, the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail mobilized chainsaw-certified volunteers (including Eno Land Stewardship Manager Indigo Roper-Edwards) to help with tree removal this weekend through Baptists on Mission.
If you want even more ways to help, WRAL also has a list of opportunities.
The Eno River Association is dedicated to helping our community. As a nonprofit committed to strengthening climate resilience and preserving this region’s culture and history, we believe it is within our charge to turn some of our own resources towards these efforts. We hope you agree that mobilizing our large, deeply caring community network is one of the best ways that we can make a difference for our state right now.
If you have ideas on how we can help with hurricane recovery, please email us.
With regards,
Your team at the Eno River Association
P.S. The more people who know about how to help, the more support we can gather for our neighbors. Keep an eye on our social media, emails, and website for more ways to get involved in hurricane relief efforts. And, of course, let us know about things we should lift up to our channels!
