NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — A non-profit in North Wilkesboro serves communities in the Appalachian Mountains all year long.
“This is our home. These are our friends, our family. We are here for the long haul,” President of Anchor Ridge Josh Paul said.
After Helene went through the area, they made daily trips to small communities to deliver supplies. Nearly three weeks into this effort, the needs are changing, but they are not slowing down.
It is a massive operation as trailers stop by all day. They are stuffed from the floor to the ceiling. All of the items get sorted then get back out the door and off to the mountains.
Each day, they haul 100,000 pounds of supplies. Each trip is to a different place with a different need, and the donations come from all over the country.
On Wednesday, there were two trailers from a group in Pittsburgh.
“It started off with me wanting to do it. I was going to bring a 6-foot trailer myself,” Seth Stoyanoff said.
After he shared his mission, other local businesses jumped on board.
“It just exploded. We did not expect all of this to happen … Pittsburgh really came and showed out,” Stoyanoff said.
He brought two, 24-foot trailers filled, and it took a while to unload. A group from Ohio was next in line to unload. While they waited, they got to work.
It is organized chaos as Anchor Ridge makes sure every trip to the mountains is with purpose.
“The needs change every day … We are really trying to make sure before we send a load out that they do actually need it,” Paul said.
Small mountain communities are overwhelmed with water and clothing donations. The focus now is on generators, heaters and other supplies to keep warm this winter.
“I would encourage anybody who is planning on taking a load to the mountains to call and get a contact and make sure you are taking them supplies that they need and that they can use instead of it being piled up in a pile,” Paul said.
As each town recovers and eventually rebuilds, their needs will change, but Anchor Ridge will be there.
“We are here for the long term. We ‘ve been here for 13 years. We are going to be here for another 1,000 years,” Paul said.
It’s support from up and down the mountains and across the country.
“America is here. We are here … We are not going to forget about you … I will do my best to make sure of that,” Stoyanoff said.
If you want to get involved, you can sign up for a mission trip or donate online, so they can buy the supplies that are most needed or you can drop them off at the Anchor Ridge warehouse.
About 40 to 100 volunteers show up every day, and that is how they are able to keep moving their mission forward.
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