Donations for Helene Disaster Western NC
CCC Recommended Donation Opportunities October 3, 2024
A poll of the CCC board and staff has brought up some worthy donation opportunities for the Western NC disaster areas. Caution: Do your own vetting of these organizations to satisfy yourself they are good to go for your purposes.
You should donate directly to the organization and not to the CCC.
Three quick, simple and reliable ones:
- North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund . https://pay.payitgov.com/ncdonations The North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund is now accepting contributions for hurricane damage.
- NC Baptists on Mission. This well-organized NC Baptist group has a long history of providing boots on the ground disaster recovery support to affected area….food, meals, showers, chainsaw crews, clean up, tear downs, rebuilds etc. All funds go directly to Helene relief—not administrative expenses or other uses.
Other places to look up and support:
- Manna FoodBank – Asheville
- Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
- Samaritan’s Purse (which is based in the Boone/Blowing Rock area)
- Lance Buskey— Facebook
See Below for recent WRAL ( Raleigh) info on other organizations to support.
10-3-24
Local News
Help North Carolina rebuild: WRAL’s Hurricane Helene recovery fund raises $648k+
What, where and how to give to support western North Carolina’s recovery from Hurricane Helene.
Posted 6:42 p.m. Sep 28 – Updated 11:21 a.m. Today
Play Video
WRAL Cares: Hurricane relief fundraiser underway
By
WRAL staff
Western North Carolina was crippled by historic flooding and life-threatening conditions from the impacts of Tropical Storm Helene. Many organizations are working to support those in need during this difficult time.
WRAL Cares Hurricane Helene Recovery
Almost 2,500 people called to donate more than $648,000 on Oct. 2 during a WRAL Cares telethon. Every donation goes directly to supporting recovery and rebuilding efforts across the state.
Donations are still being accepted online at these links:
DONATE TO the American Red Cross
DONATE TO North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund
Checks can be mailed to:
American Red Cross
100 N. Peartree Lane
Raleigh, NC 27610
North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund
20312 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699
Map: Hurricane Helene in North Carolina
WRAL Cares Virtual Blood Drive
The Red Cross has declared an urgent need for blood and platelet donations in the wake of Hurricane Helene. In addition to the unimaginable devastation caused by the storm, the hurricane forced more than 1,000 scheduled blood donations to go uncollected through the Carolinas and Georgia. That number continues to grow.
Hospitals are overwhelmed, supplies are depleted, and blood and platelets are desperately needed. Those in areas of the state who can safely give blood are asked to roll up their sleeves and donate today to ensure that those who need access to lifesaving care can receive it. Pledge to give blood via this link.
Select optionWRAL Hurricane Helene Recovery TelethonWRAL Cares Virtual Blood DriveOther ways to helpDonate suppliesVolunteer efforts
WRAL Cares
Donate to Hurricane Helene relief in your community
On your computer, use ctrl+F or search by organization name or location.
Many organizations are collecting goods to be delivered to western North Carolina. Flooded communities need daily necessities, cleaning and rebuilding supplies.
What can I give?
bottled water, sports drinks
medicines like aspirin, Tylenol, Benadryl
first aid kits
hand sanitizer
shower and bath supplies
clothing and blankets, towels, socks
bug repellent spray or wipes
trash bags, paper towels, wipes, toilet paper
paper plates and plastic utensils
rubber gloves, work gloves, rubber boots
diapers, baby formula, baby food, bottles and sippy cups
non-perishable food like granola or energy bars, canned goods
manual can openers
pet food
gas cans and gasoline, charcoal
batteries
flashlights
tarps
plastic storage bins
Where can I give?
Chatham County
Drop off donations during business hours, Monday through Friday at the following locations:
- Piggly Wiggly in Siler City
- Chatham County Sheriffs Office in Pittsboro
- Performance Auto in Pittsboro
- Solid Rock Community Church and Grace Chapel Church in Sanford
- Spill the Beans Coffee in Liberty
- Parks Crossroads Baptist Church in Ramseur
Johnston County
Donations can be dropped off at the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office located at 2875 U.S. Highway 70 Business East in Smithfield. The sheriff’s office will continue to accept donations through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A drive-thru donation line will be set up to make the process quick and easy for residents. Follow the signs when you arrive.
In addition to physical donations, cash and checks are also welcome. Please put “Western NC/Helene” in the memo line. All funds will be collected and donated directly to emergency relief efforts in western North Carolina. Please make checks payable to:
County of Johnston
Relief Fund
P.O. Box 1049
Smithfield, N.C. 27577
For more information, contact the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office at 919-989-5010.
Forsyth County
Operation North State, a nonprofit in Winston-Salem, is hosting a Hurricane Helene Relief Collection Drive Monday at the Bass Pro Shops at Concord Mills located at 8181 Concord Mills Blvd. in Concord. The goal is to collect a minimum of 12 tractor-trailer loads of supplies in eight days. The drive runs until Oct. 8. Only new items will be accepted.
Cash donations with checks can be made out to:
Operation North State
151 Windemere Ct.
Winston-Salem, NC 27127
You can also donate at operationnorthstate.com.
All cash donations will be used to purchase gift cards to fast food restaurants so flood victims and members of the rescue, first response and emergency teams can have hot meals. ONS purchases gifts only from those restaurants that provide us with 50% discounts on the gift cards.
Guilford County
The Robert G. Shaw Piedmont Triad Farmers Market, 2914 Sandy Ridge Road in Colfax, will accept donations Oct. 3-6 between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Person County
Timberlake Fire & Rescue is accepting donations at its station at 350 Ashley Ave. in Timberlake.
Wake County
The State Farmers Market, 1201 Agriculture St. in Raleigh, will accept donations Oct. 3-6 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
American Woodyards, 5199 Hillsborough St. in Raleigh, is collecting supplies for deliveries to Lansing, NC. If after hours, please leave donations in front of scalehouse.
The Wake Forest Fire Department is accepting donations to aid Hurricane Helene victims and first responders Wake Forest Fire Department Station #1, 420 Elm Ave., is now serving as a donation drop off point for the counties in Western NC devastated by Hurricane Helene.
Cash and checks written to the Wake Forest Firefighter Foundation are also accepted. All monetary donations will be used to purchase additional relief supplies.
Other local ways to help
Flour Power Cooking Studios in Cary is hosting a fundraising event on Saturday, Oct. 5. Learn how to craft your own delicious pizzas and decorate sugar cookies. Every dollar raised will be donated directly to the Red Cross Hurricane Helene Relief Fund. You can register at flourpowerstudios.com.
Other ways to help
Red Cross
- To make a $10 donation to the Red Cross, text HELENE to 90999.
- To make a donation of any other size, visit: Support Hurricane Helene Disaster Relief
- To find out more about becoming a Red Cross volunteer, visit www.redcross.org/volunteer
Donate to the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund
- Donate at nc.gov/donate
- Donations for the fund will go to nonprofits working to meet the immediate needs of people needing food and water, cleaning supplies and other emergency supplies.
Triangle Community Foundation
- TCF is matching donations up to $25,000 to the Community Fund of Western North Carolina and the North Carolina Community Foundation.
The United Way
The United Way has created a fund to specifically help those affected by Helene. You may designate your donation to a local United Way or where it is needed most at the discretion of United Way of North Carolina.
The Association for Home & Hospice Care of North Carolina
This group has opened a Hurricane Helene Relief Fund to distribute directly to hospice and home care employees devastated by this storm. To donate, click here.
Volunteer to help clean up Western North Carolina
Many non-profits are collecting donations and mobilizing teams to help.
- The Salvation Army is accepting donation and mobilizing disaster response teams. Donate and find out more on their website.
- Baptists on a Mission volunteers are putting teams together to serve those affected in North Carolina as conditions allow. The group is accepting donations and looking for volunteers.
- Samaritan’s Purse’s headquarters is in Boone. They are currently scheduling volunteers to help homeowners with the destruction in the city. Find out how you can help.
- Find a recovery group to help via the North Carolina Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster list or find a group to volunteer with. There is also a national directory with organizations that are helping.
- Charity Navigator is vetting relief organizations that had pre-positioned resources to deliver food, emergency shelter, medical care, and other critical items to people impacted by Helene. Charities are rated on a 5-star scale based on their financial health and their accountability and transparency.
If you have donations, equipment, or have questions about specific needs, please email helenedonations@buncombecounty.org. If you want to volunteer, please email helenevolunteers@buncombecounty.org.
Appalachian State disaster relief fund
Appalachian State University said the school will be closed for several days due to infrastructure damage to the campus. The school saw significant flooding on Friday.
None of the residence halls were damaged, but its campus did sustain some damage from Helene.
The school provided a donation link that you can access by clicking here. Those wishing to donate will need to provide a donation amount and say how much of the donation they would like to go to the Appalachian State Disaster Relief Fund.
The Foster Family Alliance of North Carolina
FFA is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting foster caregivers and providers statewide, and is currently working to provide immediate aid to those who have lost everything.
Get more information on their website.
Some things to remember when donating
Disaster officials remind you that if you want to donate, do it through a disaster relief organization or the government. They publish lists of needed items.
- Only give items when they are requested
- Only give items that are on the list of requested items
- Do not send items directly to the affected area
DisasterAssistance.gov provides information about finding loved ones. You can also get information on this through the Red Cross.
Look for matching donations. Nonprofits recognize that individuals may not be able to give as much as they would like due to the current economy and the number of current global crises. Experts suggest giving through places that will provide a matching donation. For example, Walmart announced Monday that its foundation will not only donate $6 million to support Hurricane Helene relief efforts, but it will match all customer donations made to the American Red Cross at Walmart and Sam’s Club stores, as well as Walmart.com, until Oct. 13, up to $2.5 million.
Seeking shelter or financial assistance after a disaster
If you need assistance following Helene, go to USA.Gov to get information about financial assistance and housing following a disaster.
The Red Cross also has a list of shelters that are open and so does the website ReadyNC.gov.
The North Carolina Department of Public Safety has a website with information about emergency declarations, power outages and crisis cleanup for those affected by Helene.
Health needs
If you are in a personal crisis and need someone to talk with, you can call or text the Crisis Line at 988. If you are not in an immediate crisis, but need someone to talk with, you can call the North Carolina Warm Line: 1-855-733-7762.
LME/MCOs, or Local Management Entity/Managed Care Organizations, are the best contacts for most mental health and developmental disability services. See a county-by-county list.
Who to call if you need help locating someone
NC 211 is an information and referral service provided by United Way of North Carolina and supported by local United Ways and public and private partners
North Carolina leaders mentioned the service as the western part of the state deals with flooding, no water, no power and no cell service in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Calling NC 211 after Helene passes: Lifeline helps with disaster response, resources
People trying to connect with family members can call NC 211 or 1-888-892-1162 if calling from out-of-state. People can also call those numbers to report missing loved ones.
WRAL News has begun compiling a list of people who are safe. You can see that full list by clicking here.
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