Ways to Help with Hurricane Relief Efforts

Updated: October 29, 2024 | 11 a.m.

The road to recovery following Hurricanes Helene and Milton will be a long one for our siblings in western North Carolina, Florida and other affected areas. We are committed to walking with them on this road, and we know you will be on this journey, too. Please explore this page thoroughly for updates and new information on ways you can help.

There are a multitude of ways both individuals and churches can help. What’s most helpful is to respond to the needs as requested by those on the ground in affected areas, and to use the distribution channels being organized or already in place. Do not self-deploy. This remains a request from every organization with whom we have been on a call since the storm arrived.

Many areas in western NC have entered the recovery phase, but the magnitude of needs still requires a carefully coordinated effort. Traveling to the area on your own still can hinder response efforts, as those on the ground are most informed of where and how it is safe to travel. Please continue to work through responding agencies, as they are building the infrastructure and systems that are assisting response efforts.

From FEMA: Donating and Volunteering After a Disaster

We will update this page as often as we receive updates, requests and information on relief efforts. If you are working in partnership with response organizations, please let us know.

FINANCIAL DONATIONS

Having financial resources to respond is one of the most critical needs. Today, the best way to help is to provide responding agencies with the financial resources they need. We encourage donations to:

• Affected dioceses: Funds donated directly to affected dioceses will be used at the discretion of that diocese's leadership.
  • Diocese of Western NC: Select "Partners in Mission" from the drop-down menu, and add "Hurricane Helene" in the memo box.
  • Diocese of East Tennessee: Give to the 2024 Flooding Relief fund as directed on the page.
  • Diocese of Georgia: To direct your funds toward hurricane relief for the Diocese of Georgia, you can give to the Bishop's Fund; the money raised in the Bishop's Fund will go directly to disaster relief in the diocese. Alternatively, you can text "EDOG Relief" to 73256 to give using your mobile device. This number will never send unsolicited texts to you. To cancel further messages, text STOP. If you need assistance with text giving, text HELP. Standard text message and data rates may apply.
  • Diocese of Central Florida: Select the "Disaster Relief Fund."
  • Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast: Select the Hurricane Helene Response/Recovery/Relief efforts.
  • Diocese of Florida: Click the button to "Make a Gift" and select "Other" from the dropdown menu and include "Hurricane Helene" in the memo line.
  • Diocese of Southwest Florida: Simply give to the "Hurricane Helene Relief Fund."

• Episcopal Relief & Development: The disaster response team is in contact with the dioceses in all affected areas. Funds collected will be used for long-term relief efforts as well as emergency grants, which are for churches in affected areas that are in a position to respond to needs in their local community. “Your gift will provide our partners on the ground with critical supplies, such as food and water, pastoral care and other urgent needs. You’ll also help us assist with the long-term efforts needed to rebuild and heal.” Donate

• American Red Cross: Working with officials and community partners, almost 1,400 Red Cross disaster workers are focused on providing shelter, food and comfort to thousands with more help on the way. In addition, the Red Cross has deployed more than 45 emergency response vehicles to get help to where needed and about two dozen more are enroute. Where it is safe to do so, Red Cross disaster responders are driving these vehicles throughout affected communities, assessing the damage and distributing meals and relief supplies.” Read more | Read about the American Red Cross response in North Carolina | Donate

HOW YOU CAN HELP (BEYOND DONATIONS)

PRAY
Those in affected regions are overwhelmed and exhausted. They need your ongoing prayers. Episcopal Relief & Development has offered some liturgical resources for use in services and other channels.

STEM THE TIDE OF MISINFORMATION
There is a great deal of misinformation going around relating to Hurricane Helene relief efforts, especially on social meda. As you can imagine, it makes the job of those responding that much harder. Help stem the tide of misinformation; get your information from trusted resources, and verify any information you share is from a reliable source. Some reliable sources to consider:

• NC Department of Public Safety (page dedicated to Hurricane Helene relief efforts) | Information links by county
• FEMA (page dedicated to Hurricane Helene)

ITEM COLLECTION
We know how good churches are at collecting items needed! We do encourage in lieu of item collection, please consider a financial donation to those agencies in a position both to purchase the items most needed AND deliver them to affected areas. Many areas are reporting they are at capacity in terms of storing donated items but will need to be replenished at a later date. Uncoordinated donations are also resulting in unneeded supplies that monopolize storage space.

Because self-deployment still should not be considered (this cannot be stressed enough), we are working to find item collection opportunities being done in partnership with organizations with established distribution systems. In other words, organizations that are already authorized, able to get to parts of the affected regions, and have up-to-date information on what is needed now. If your church is working with such an organization and is willing to serve as a collection point, please be in touch with us.

In conversation with the team in the Diocese of Western NC, please do not collect or send clothing at this time. They are not yet ready to receive it, both because the focus remains on food, water and shelter; and because they do not have space to store it. Some retail options are starting to open for local clothing needs, so please hold off on clothing collections just now.

VOLUNTEER (SEE OPPORTUNITIES BELOW)
Volunteers will be needed in countless capacities for a long time to come. A few things to consider:

• Recovery efforts have begun in select counties. If you feel a call to volunteer in impacted areas, you’ll need (at least in these early days) to be working through an agency authorized to be there. Many are gathering volunteer information for both immediate and future needs. Please see the agency list below and contact them directly if you wish to serve. There are two key reasons you'll need to go through an organization:
  • By doing so, it helps to keep efforts organized and prioritized.
  • It is for your safety. The organizations will know who you are, where you are and the work you are doing. They are working in areas where need is great, but risk to responders has been reduced. They also will supply you with the necessary information you'll need to be prepared, which, in turn, will also ensure local resources are not depleted trying to support responders.

• Support local initiatives. There are countless nonprofits, organizations and networks across NC working together to support our siblings in western NC, and they need your gifts, too. Supporting those doing the work in your local area does help those in the western part of the state! Remember, too, local organizations are expending resources for hurricane relief and might need help replenishing those resources to continue their work serving local communities.

SHARE AVAILABLE RESOURCES

If you or an organization with which you are associated have resources to share (trucks, trailers, construction supplies, warehouse/storage space, etc.), please share them here. The information will go to coordinators in the Diocese of Western NC; resources submitted will be matched with needs requests.

WORK IN PARTNERSHIP

If you wish to work in partnership with an Episcopal church in an impacted area, please visit the Diocese of Western NC hurricane information page for church status, and work happening in those able to be a resource.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

*If you have volunteer needs and/or opportunities to share, please contact us.

AGENCIES

*If you wish to serve through one of these agencies, please be in touch with them directly to coordinate your plan. We will add other agencies as we have them.

All Hands and Hearts
American Red Cross
Baptists on Mission | Volunteer : Needs - construction and labor; Locations - Boone, Spruce Pine, Hendersonville and Marion
Hands on Asheville - Buncombe County
Samaritan’s Purse | Volunteer
United Way of Henderson County

HUBS OF VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
NC211 (United Way)
Hurricane Helene Community Support Hub | Volunteer needs
JustServe | Hurricane relief volunteer opportunities (includes opportunities outside of impact area)
NCVOAD | Hurricane relief opportunities

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS

Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC | Hurricane page
Volunteer info:

• Durham, Raleigh or Southern Pines: opportunities to prepare food, water, and other essential supplies for shipment to impacted communities. Volunteer link (with info for individuals, groups and locations)

ADDITIONAL RELIEF INFORMATION SOURCES

Diocese of Western North Carolina: Hurricane Relief Hub
Diocese of Western North Carolina: Asheville Relief Facebook page
Blue Ridge Public Radio (Western NC) | List of ways to help

FROM FEMA

If you know of individuals in impacted areas that need assistance, please refer to the following information from FEMA:

• Application letters
• Appealing a decision
• For houses of worship
• Temporary Housing Assistance