On Monday, a 28-foot U-Haul trailer filled to the brim with water, clothing and other essential supplies rolled out of Columbus headed to Asheville, North Carolina.
Maggy Wesley, commander for Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4272 in Columbus, said the post received at least $8,000 worth of goods that are now being distributed to victims of Hurricane Helene in Asheville. The VFW is planning another drive in the coming weeks in response to Hurricane Milton’s landfall this week in Florida, she said.
“It’s times like this when we really do come together,” Wesley told The Dispatch Friday. “It was so humbling. (The community) was just so generous. They just kept coming and coming.”
Helene made landfall Sept. 26 and largely impacted areas along the Southern Appalachians, causing severe and unprecedented flooding that resulted in hundreds of fatalities and billions in property damage, according to the National Weather Service.
Since then, churches, organizations and businesses in the Golden Triangle have mobilized to deliver supplies and monetary donations to help victims in affected states.
Bridgeway Church in Starkville started working with partners in impacted areas to plan relief efforts the day after the hurricane. Along with sending teams to help on the ground in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, the church started a donation drive this week, asking for basic items like blankets, flashlights and batteries.
Joe Horan, co-pastor at Bridgeway, said any help or supplies that people can give will help victims as they try to navigate living through a disaster even if it doesn’t seem like a lot.
“There can be a real tendency to think, ‘Well what can we do? What good will our little bit of supplies do?’ … But the truth is, every little bit adds up,” he said. “So when you start taking those little bits from all over the country, and you take them in dozens and hundreds and thousands, they really do make a difference.”
That impact multiplies in places like Alma, Georgia, a town of about 3,400 that experienced wind gusts of 100 mph during Helene. It’s a good way to help towns, like Alma, that may not see the same immediate attention as larger cities, Horan said.
“Basically it’s one of those smaller towns that said, ‘Hey, we’re having trouble getting things that we need. We’re not really on anybody’s radar,’” Horan said. “… What we try to say to people is, our willingness to inconvenience ourselves and to donate or to volunteer to them makes an emotional (and psychological) impact because we get to say, ‘You’re not alone.’ Even if this is your reality, we’re going to help you get back to something that’s more normal.”
A team from Bridgeway will travel to Alma in late October to distribute donated items. Donations can be dropped off at Bridgeway from 9 a.m. to noon or from 1 to 4 p.m. every day next week or during regular service hours on Sunday and Wednesday. A full list of needed items can be found on the church website.
Students from Mississippi State’s Block and Bridle Club have been collecting donations since Oct. 4. Club Historian Katie Havard Davis said they don’t plan to stop any time soon.
“As long as they’re taking them and they’re needed and people are still bringing them in, we’ll take them,” she told The Dispatch on Friday.
Those interested in donating should email Havard Davis to coordinate a drop off time at [email protected]. Local volunteers traveling to help victims will carry the supplies to affected areas.
“We really need cold weather gear right now,” Davis said. “Tarps, cold weather clothing, space heaters, batteries and extension cords are a big ask right now.”
Southwire’s Starkville plant has collected donations since Oct. 8, filling a 53-foot trailer with supplies, which the company’s philanthropic branch, Project Gift, will distribute to victims in Georgia.
The drive wrapped up Friday, but Plant Manager Erik Adams plans are in the works for a second drive for donations to send to communities affected by Hurricane Milton in Florida.
“It may be the end of the week of the 21st before we can do anything, but it may carry over into November,” he said. “We just have to see how we can get people and trailers coordinated.”
Fairview Baptist Church will also be collecting supplies donations as teams prepare to travel to Georgia, Administrative Assistant Jan Holder said. Donations can be dropped off at the church.
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 47 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
