Donate to help Western North Carolina and Asheville in hurricane recovery

This is a message from good friends in Asheville, please read on:

We will not know the extent of devastation for a long time, and building back will take many years. Many lives have been lost, and countless livelihoods. Asheville and surrounding towns will never be the same, but there is a profound love of place here. Everyone I talk to is digging in and ready to assist for months and maybe years.

If you’re moved to donate, it will be deeply appreciated. The Red Cross and other large organizations have done wonderful things over the years, but it’s hard to tell how much of a donation actually gets to the people on the ground. Here are three local efforts that are boots on the ground and effective. I personally know some of the people involved:

Help for Barnardsville. https://shorturl.at/UVob1

This beautiful town is just a few minutes north of Asheville but not getting the same amount of attention. It is an area of farms, homesteads, schools, and working class people who commute to Asheville. They are absolutely devastated, many still cut off from the outside world. My friend up there tells me their roads are dirt tracks now, and trees block in almost every direction. They have set up this portal to aid their mutual efforts. This is a truly bottom up, local effort.

Beloved Asheville. https://belovedasheville.com

This is a very active non profit staffed by friends and neighbors. They’ve done all sorts of work over the years helping the city, but are in high gear with relief efforts. They are respected and trusted by Asheville. You can follow them on Instagram to see what they are going day to day.

MANNA Foodbank https://www.mannafoodbank.org

This is a non profit that works to end food insecurity. They, too, are staffed by friends and neighbors. They are actively setting up food distribution locations. Their own facility has taken flood damage, but they are forging ahead to get people fed.

There are so many ways to help, and many in need. Thank you for following your heart, and please forward this to anyone who would like to pitch in.