A huge, huge, HUGE thank you goes out to all of you who showed your love and support for those affected by Helene. When my first email was delivered last week, I honestly only expected to receive a few donations, especially since many had already contributed items earlier in the week. Truthfully, I would have been happy with just the back of my pickup filled; however, as you’re about to read, God had other plans. My apologies if this email gets long, but there’s no way I could begin to share the series of events from the past week.

As I mentioned last week, this all started with my first trip to Maggie Valley two days after Helene. As I spoke with folks in the area throughout the week, they seemed to be getting along better as each day passed. Maggie Valley and Jonathan Creek did experience flooding and lost bridges, but the people there seemed to be managing well and had sufficient supplies. Their challenges dealt more more with minor isolation than the devastation faced in some other areas. (I also learned that the waitress mentioned in my first email had received help and was doing fine.)

My goal with the original email was to get items directly into the hands of those who needed help. At the time (and still), it seemed there was a lot of chaos and confusion regarding donations—where they were going, how they were being delivered, etc. The first few days following the email, we had a few donations trickle in. During that time, I joined community Facebook pages for areas like Burnsville, Swannanoa, Spruce Pine, and others to read what locals were saying and to try to find someone who could help me locally. It became clear that Swannanoa was the place I needed to focus on, but I had no idea where to go. I reached out to several people directly through Facebook, but I didn’t receive any responses. After three days—still no responses—donations kept coming in: more and more. Businesses started calling me to make donations, cash began coming in, and things started piling up. A car was even donated.

(Thank you, Missy and Brandon).

I woke up on Monday morning not knowing exactly what to expect for the week. I had no clue where to begin, and when I arrived at my office, I was met with a conference room overflowing with gifts and supplies. It became clear that neither a pickup nor even my box truck would be enough to deliver everything. That was Monday morning at 8 a.m. I had no idea that, 48 hours later, everything would arrive safely in Swannanoa—two days ahead of schedule—and be placed directly into the hands of those in need.

With all that said, I can’t begin to share all the events that transpired during that time—the doors that closed and others that opened, the logistics of trying to find time to pick up goods in Charlotte and Hickory, the task of sorting, labeling, and packing all of the donations into boxes, and the struggle to find a larger truck that could hold everything. Most importantly, where was all of this actually going to be delivered?

I learned, or was reminded of, two important things:

• God’s timing is perfect—always.
• It’s okay to think big when it comes to Him. I had modest hopes of filling a pickup, while He had plans to fill a semi…along with many hearts.

I can’t recognize everyone who contributed, but I thank all of you, as do those who will be blessed by your compassion and generosity. I do, however, want to acknowledge some who went above and beyond. Please forgive me if I miss anyone.

Thank you once again for your support! I’m sure we will do this again in a month or two based on what we learn of needs as time passes. We will continue to accept cash donations and that money will be distributed immediately to families in need.