ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Food, water, heaters, temporary homes, donations, and cash started flowing into the mountains right after Helene hit. In the five months since, non-profits and churches have worked to get all of it to those most in need.
News 13 is tracking the amount of money that came in to the mountains and how it has been used.
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SALVATION ARMY
For the Salvation Army, the first step after the storm was housing those left with nothing.
“The scope of the need was so large that without the non-profits, and that includes the individual churches, we would be nowhere near where we are now,” said Susan Riddle.
Riddle said that donations came in right away, but are now starting to dwindle.
“To keep the spotlight on us so that we can help, restore, and rebuild, and recover and maybe even not in that order, because this is home,” Riddle said.
She says 65 people still need their shelter as many struggle to find housing.
“Money right now is going to rental assistance. Again there is a dire need for that right now. We exhausted $100,000 in less than a month,” she said.
According to Riddle, $225,000 locally has been spent on Helene relief so far. That money went to the initial shelter operations, then continued immediate personal needs for those who lost everything.
Salvation Army sent the following information about the breakdown of funds:
“Locally we have spent $225,000 on disaster assistance and distributed thousands of dollars’ worth of donated items such as heaters, cleaning supplies, food boxes, and clean up tools. We are still distributing, clothing, food and supplies to Swannanoa and providing 24/7 shelter for 65 people.
Nationally, the assistance is not monetized but is counted in service. The Disaster Relief Team provided more than 100,000 meals, 10,000 meal boxes, 70,000 snacks and drinks, more than 1,000 clean-up kits and provided nearly 11,000 people with emotional support.”
ABCCM
Other non-profits, are also trying to meet the same overwhelming need. So far, a spokesperson for Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM) says they’ve spent $2.4 million on the disaster.
“We want to keep this from being a slow rolling disaster that continues to drive people out of the housing they are in right now. We need support in supporting those people to stay in housing, rental assistance, housing assistance. The need for that is not slowing down at all,” Chandler Carriker said.
Carriker said that includes rental and utility help for nearly 900 families.
“The lifespan of giving to a disaster is typically a lot shorter than this. I think something about this has connected deeply with people and we see their generosity continuing on,” Carriker said.
According to Carriker, ABCCM is using the NC Care 360 program to help connect those in need with what they need.
“I want a pastor who has someone come in the door and say, ‘I have a need,’ to know they can say, ‘I can help you meet that need.’ Even if they don’t have the need themselves, they’re connected to a wider network,” he said.
MANNA FOODBANK
Another big need continues to be food. MANNA FoodBank, a not-for-profit organization operating in 16 western North Carolina counties, fell victim to the storm at a cost of $28 million. Micah Chrisman said that MANNA FoodBank had to rebuild its IT, replace equipment and hire temporary staff.
“How are we going to make sure our resources are getting to those impacted now, this food that is needed for today, but what’s the food that is needed for tomorrow as well,” he said.
But, the organization quickly rebounded and has now spent $37 million to help rebuild itself and help families in need.
“Helene hit, we have folks who lost their cars, lost everything and to get food to these most remote communities, and here within the metro, it’s truly something we can’t lose heart over,” Chrisman said.
Chrisman sent the following information about their relief funding:
- Food Distribution: Since Helene, MANNA has distributed 5.47 million pounds of food, equating to 4.5 million meals, focusing on nutritious staples, proteins, and produce sourced from local farmers.
- Non-Food Aid: We distributed items like generators, clothing, heaters, and gift cards to partner agencies to enhance their operational capacity.
- New Facility: We purchased a new warehouse and are now investing in essential upgrades, including the construction of a 15,400 sq ft cooler, freezer (estimated cost of $6.5 million), as well as a new volunteer center and office space that will allow us to carry out our mission.
- Staffing: From October through December 2024, we hired and will continue to hire temporary disaster response staff (e.g. partnered with organizations like Habitat for Humanity to create job opportunities for those impacted).
- Equipment Replacement: We are replacing vital operational equipment, including pallet jacks, scan guns, and our cardboard bailer, to restore functionality.
- IT Infrastructure: We are rebuilding our entire IT system, including servers, security systems, and warehouse computer stations.
- Partner Agency Support: Through partnerships like Feeding the Carolinas, we are providing grant opportunities to help local pantries and farmers rebuild.
SAMARITAN’S PURSE
Luther Harrison with Samaritan’s Purse says they’ve already spent more than $23 Million on Helene recovery throughout the southeast.
“Government money runs slower. There’s a lot of rules and restrictions,” Harrison said. “I thank God for the money our donors give us. There is less red tape and less restrictions, and we can get to the homeowners more quickly.”
According to Harrison, that money has helped about 4,000 families in the mountains to replace cars, provide campers, and help with groceries and appliances. The agency has spent another $150,000 for bridges, driveway, and culvert repairs, as well as rebuilding dozens of homes.
“Everything with Samaritan’s Purse is a free gift. We don’t charge anyone for any of this. We don’t use any grant money, so this is all private donors giving and private volunteers serving,” said Harrison.
Samaritan’s Purse sent the following information about their funding:
“During the initial disaster response phase, Samaritan’s Purse helped nearly 4,300 families in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee in Jesus’ Name who were impacted by Helene.
Now, we are continuing to meet urgent needs by providing replacement vehicles, campers for temporary shelter, grocery gift-cards, new appliances, and much more. One example of this is that we recently replaced tools and a work van for a plumber who had lost these items in the storm. He is now able to start working again and providing for his family.
Our current repair work includes replacing driveway bridges and culverts for homeowners, and we are providing grants to churches so that congregations can repair and rebuild their facilities. Samaritan’s Purse is also committed to rebuilding and replacing hundreds of homes and mobile homes which we expect to take around three years.
Currently, we have ten new homes at various points of permitting and construction and five homes in the middle of repairs. In addition, we recently received the first delivery of mobile homes that we have ordered and will be providing these as quickly as possible to families whose mobile homes were destroyed. These were specially constructed for Samaritan’s Purse to make them stronger and more stable in extreme weather. Permits for ten of these mobile homes are approved and in process.
We are thankful that we have been able to provide relief in Jesus’ Name to thousands of people who were left devastated by Hurricane Helene. We will continue our work to help them rebuild and recover for years to come.”
DOGWOOD HEALTH TRUST
Another huge chunk of money is coming from Dogwood Health Trust. It’s the private foundation from the money made by Mission Hospital’s sale to HCA Healthcare.
Usually, Dogwood gives $80 million a year through local organizations to the local communities.
“The money Dogwood Health puts out comes out of an endowment and normally we put about $80 million into the community every year, and our board said we need to do more now, and approved an additional $70 million in 2024, and we are now looking at what 2025 will look like.” said Dr. Mimms.
But, after Helene, Dogwood gave an additional $70 million to nearly 50 agencies in the mountains. That includes $10 million for small business grants, $3.5 million for childcare centers, $300,000 for mental health counseling, and half a million for rent help.
“We have trusted partner relationships so it was fairly easy to work with them and actually necessary to work with multiple organizations, because the need was so great, to get funds to them that they could get quickly out to their partners,” Dr. Susan Mimms, CEO of Dogwood.
Dr. Mimms said that the money will continue to flow in the future as well to help those impacted by the storm.
“We are in close contact with the organizations that we are partnering with and they are sharing the feedback of getting those dollars out the door, almost all of those dollars have been out, some are still in the works of going out,” said Dr. Mimms.
EBLEN CHARITIES
News 13 also reached out to Elben Charities about their funding efforts after the storm. Executive Director Brian Hall sent us the following information on some of the money spent since October 1st:
Breakdown of $1,785,548.79
Medical- 4,400.32
Housing- 1,060,654.44
Mortgages- 187,647.61
Gas/Ins- 30,248.38
Utilities- 73,840.57
Grants Out- 210,000
Heathy Opportunities Program, EA’s, other- 218,757.47
