Donation sites across Tri-State collecting aid for Hurricane Helene victims

CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – Appalachia is stepping up to help victims of Hurricane Helene, which has claimed more than 160 lives as of Wednesday.

Across the Tri-State area, volunteers that feel a calling to serve are collecting donations to send to affected communities.

One of those good Samaritans is John Evans, a chef for 1010 Bridge in Charleston. Evans and Chef Paul Smith have been collecting donations all week long in the basement at 1010, and on Wednesday night, Evans will be driving down to Asheville, North Carolina to drop off two truckloads of donations, including shovels, canned food, nonperishable food, bottled water, hygiene products and more.

Evans said, “Every small town, they all take care of their own. When somebody’s hurting, you go help them. So, that’s what we’re doing.

Smith said it’s part of “their ethos at 1010” to be involved in the community, and this is one way they’re seeking to do just that. All of this stemmed from asking for help from customers and strangers on social media.

“Of course, we made the post, and then the donations started coming in. Now we are coordinating with FEMA. Now we are two trucks and two trailers instead of one pickup truck. So, it just also goes to show you like Chef John said ‘Appalachia.’ It’s about community. It’s about helping each other,” Smith said. “We went through this 10 years ago. A lot of our team went through the flood firsthand in Clendenin and Greenbrier County.”

Evans plans to visit Asheville more than once, continually bringing donations in the coming weeks because he says this “won’t fix itself overnight.”

Smith said, “They’re a mess. They need everything we’re sending. A guy that lived here in Boone County is actually the one that got us going and doing this. He lived at Warton. That’s 20 minutes from us. It’s people we’ve known for years. Again, they just need help.”

Another donation site in the Tri-State region is the Madison Fire Department as Chief Joseph Smith also has connections to Asheville. Other 1010 staff members even have family members living in affected areas.

“Tomorrow it could be us. That’s always what’s in the back of our minds. We see devastation other places. It could happen here. We want to help when we can so hopefully in our time of need, they’ll help us,” Chef Paul Smith said.

He said they will be collecting donations from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day until Sunday this week. He and staff members will be sending their donations down to Asheville next Wednesday.

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