Hurricane Helene and My Appalachian Home

A little about my home and how you can help.

There's a beautiful land of mountains and valleys and rivers where the morning fog whispers so many stories of generations of strong men with soft hearts and soft-hearted women with iron wills. Stories of root-building, of forging a life from the sometimes harsh stoney mountains, of gathering stores for the coming winter starting at the spring thaw- stories of a people who helped build this nation by literally fueling it from the veins of coal that lied buried in those mountains. 

There is life and death in those mountains. There is hope, there is strength, there is love, there is beauty, there is faith. 

There is a people who are used to being forgotten or ignored by both the government and the news media. I've seen floods, mine accidents, blizzards, and other tragedies that no one outside of our Appalachian hills ever knew of. But Appalachian folk are used to that and the only thing stronger than our communities is our faith. Those are the only two reliable sources of help we've ever had.

We bury our dead, birth our babies, and plant our crops the same way we have for hundreds of years. We put flowers on the graves of our ancestors after the church picnic. We save our seeds and we can up stores for the cold winters. And we've always done it all on our own. 

This time it's different. This time there is biblical damage. This time, winter is near and that can be deadly in these mountains. This time people carry their own cameras and share on social media. This time, people are seeing with their own eyes the devastation. This time, the plight of the people of the Appalachian mountains cannot be ignored and pushed under the proverbial rug. 

If you are on social media, especially Facebook and X (Twitter), you have probably seen footage of the devastation at this point. Perhaps you saw the story about the people air lifted from the hospital roof - that was my hometown of Erwin. Asheville and the surrounding areas are mostly only accessible by air right now. People have lost everything, some even their lives. 

My heart is broken for my people- there is a Membership among us mountain people, much like Wendell Berry's Port William, and when you belong it doesn't matter how far in miles or years you go, you will always be part of the community. I know these people would feed, clothe, and pray over me if I needed it, and I want to help in any way I can.

The first thing being sharing this with you. There is nearly a media blackout on major networks. As per usual. Please pray for these communities- this recovery will take years if not decades.

The second thing is to share that I'm offering our Everyday Graces Tea of the Month Club curriculum at a discount. I know that in this economy, even $10 can put a pinch in the budget.  Through October 11th, you can purchase Tea of the Month Club curriculum at this link for $10.50. $9 from each sale will go directly to First Baptist Church Erwin's hurricane relief fund so you get a year-long beauty curriculum and are helping those affected! The other $1.50 covers the fees from our payment processor and the file hosting system we use.

If you prefer to donate directly, these are the links I've seen recommended the most for my Erwin community: 

First Baptist Erwin

Evergreen Church

A special way to help: My friend Allison is an herbalist, a pharmacist, and also a hero who owns Truth Girl Cosmetics- a favorite I've mentioned before. Her Army veteran husband and son are still on their farm trying to manage amid a tremendous amount of damage and loss. Allison is, right now, following the army down to Hendersonville to help setup and man a FEMA-type pharmacy to get people their lifesaving medications and she will be there serving indefinitely. 

If you want to support Allison and her family, please consider purchasing a TruthGirl giftcard, which makes a great gift. This alleviates any need for shipping at the current time and supports a family that is sacrificing even more than they've already lost to help their community. 

Thank you for your prayers and for sharing this information. Some of the areas you can pray for by name are: Erwin, Greeneville, Chuckey, Jonesboro, Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, Hot Springs, Chimney Rock, Asheville, Black Mountain, Swannanoa, Marion, Chilhowee, Spruce Pine, Candler, Lake Lure, Linville, Newport, Newland, Maggie Valley, Morganton, Sylva, Brevard, Beech Mountain, Hendersonville, and so many more. 

If you have another local organization that is on the ground in any of the affected areas to share, please add it in the comments.