The North Carolina Community Foundation will receive $15.5 million from the state’s disaster relief fund to support long-term recovery after Tropical Storm Helene swept through the region Sept. 27.
Gov. Roy Cooper established the relief fund to raise donations to help Western North Carolina rebuild in the wake of the storm, which caused nearly $60 billion in damage, according to the latest estimate from the N.C. Office of State Budget and Management.
Since the storm hit, donors have contributed almost $17 million to the fund. More than $1 million has already been awarded as grants and reimbursements to more than 100 nonprofits helping meet immediate needs, like providing food and water and other emergency supplies. Those funds were managed and disbursed by the United Way of North Carolina.
Awardees of those funds include:
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Haywood Pathways Center, $10,000 to support a mobile soup kitchen after the storm.
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Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, $10,000 to support farm business relief and recovery and connect households in need with local and nutritious foods.
“We are so grateful for this outpouring of generosity toward the people of western North Carolina,” Cooper said in a Dec. 23 statement. “Recovering from Hurricane Helene will be a marathon and each and every donation helps.”
The N.C. Community Foundation, a state-wide philanthropic organization, will serve as a partner for future grant awards, Cooper said. The money received from the disaster relief fund be used to support nonprofits in WNC working on long-term recovery and other needs. The foundation has raised an additional $12 million for the effort.
“We are honored to receive these funds and continue to support the recovery of Western North Carolina from the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene,” said Jennifer Tolle Whiteside, NC Community Foundation’s president and CEO, in a Dec. 23 statement. “We know this work will take years, and our grants to nonprofits on the ground will complement efforts already underway.”
Where did donations come from?
North Carolina’s disaster relief fund received donations from people in all 50 states, plus other countries like Canada and Great Britain. Corporations and foundations made significant contributions, including $1 million each from the Lennar Homes Foundation and the BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina Foundation. Taiwan’s Taipei Economic and Cultural Office donated $300,000.
The NC Disaster Relief Fund is no longer accepting donations, yet the NC Community Foundation is accepting monetary donations to support Helene recovery at www.nccommunityfoundation.org/helene.
More: Asheville MANNA FoodBank receives $1 million grant to support Helene rebuild efforts
More: After Helene, more than 100 Buncombe, Henderson property owners apply for buyout
Jacob Biba is the county watchdog reporter at the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Email him at jbiba@citizentimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: NC Community Foundation receives $15.5 million for Helene recovery
