NORTH CAROLINA — As recovery continues in western North Carolina, a few area nonprofits are turning their attention to another community devastated by floods.
BeLoved Asheville, an organization that has spent the past year helping its neighbors with flood relief, took its assistance on the road Monday as it sent three truckloads of aid southwest.
Amy Cantrell, the organization’s executive director, said they tailored donations towards what they remembered was most needed in the immediate flood response, things like gloves, masks, cleaning supplies, and work boots.
“It’s really important that we share with other folks what it’s like to go through this and how we can help them with our wisdom and lived experience,” said Cantrell.
As BeLoved Asheville’s loads began their journey, relief trucks from Boone-based Samaritan’s Purse were already in Kerr County, beginning their on-the-ground response.
Andrew Metcalfe, a program manager with the nonprofit, said the organization is still working to provide housing and other relief back home in North Carolina, but they understood their efforts were needed down south as well.
“It’s a privilege to be able to serve communities around the country, whether it’s in our own immediate backyard, in North Carolina, or all across the nation,” said Metcalfe.
Chaplains and relief workers with Samaritan’s Purse have been in Texas since the 4th and 5th, helping those who’ve lost everything start to rebuild.
“When they’re going through some of the darkest days of their life, we want them to know that they are not alone,” Metcalfe said.
Many North Carolina volunteers said they felt a duty to pay forward the kindness they received in the wake of Hurricane Helene last fall, but Metcalfe said you don’t have to be a flood survivor to give back.
Metcalfe said anyone has the capacity to help, whether it’s providing donations, volunteering, or simply lending an ear to those who need it.
“Being willing to listen to their stories, being willing to just help them take an unmanageable project and turn it into something,” he said.
To donate to Samaritan’s Purse, click here. To donate to BeLoved Asheville, click here.
VIDEO: Floodwaters disrupt homes and lives in western Triangle
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