“Parts of [I-40] are out, so they’re not letting folks through,” Michelle Schaefer-Old says. “We had to get special permission to come in, so there will become a point where we will have to be escorted in.”
Schaefer-Old, CEO of the Diaper Bank of North Carolina, is speaking from the passenger seat of a truck bound for western North Carolina, where the nonprofit will distribute supplies in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Earlier today, the diaper bank received permission to take two donation trucks into the region; more will follow in the coming days. Thus far, only food and designated essential supplies have been let in.
The Diaper Bank of North Carolina has delivered supplies into several state disaster zones since Schaefer-Old founded it in Durham in 2013, including efforts following Hurricane Florence and a Greensboro tornado, both in 2018.
Diapers, Schaefer-Old stresses, are often overlooked in times of crisis. Even under normal circumstances, WIC and food stamps do not cover sanitary supplies like diapers and period products.
“Nearly half of the population that has small children cannot afford that most essential item every single month,” Schaefer-Old says. “And when you’re pushed into a natural disaster, vulnerable families suffer even more. A lot of times, they’ll take their last few dollars and get gas to get to the nearest shelter.”
Late Thursday night, Hurricane Helene made landfall in northern Florida as a powerful Category Four storm before moving through the Southeast, pummeling western North Carolina particularly hard. As of Monday, more than 130 deaths were attributed to the storm, according to the Associated Press, with the toll rising as the waters recede.
Buncombe County, which includes Asheville, bore the brunt of the storm with at least 40 deaths reported. Emergency workers are still working to reach people in Buncombe and surrounding rural counties throughout Appalachia, where flooding and failing infrastructure have left entire communities trapped and without power, cellular service, water, or means of transportation.
The images emerging from Helene—of highways buckling in half, cars and rooftops submerged in water, and mudslides caking downtowns—have left North Carolinians reeling as many try to reach loved ones. As of Monday night, progress had been made but hundreds of roads remain closed with more than 400,000 residents still without power and widespread communication outages leaving parts of the state blanketed in silence.
On Monday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced it has deployed 200 ambulances and 10 federal search and rescue teams to affected areas. President Biden is expected to travel to the region on Wednesday and Congress and the North Carolina state legislature are likely to pass special disaster relief funding.
Shelter operators that Schaefer-Old has been able to make contact with, in Helene’s aftermath, describe the situation as “dire.” On this trip, the diaper bank is delivering nearly 79,000 baby diapers, over 5,000 adult incontinence supplies, 7,000 period products, 55,000 baby wipes, and 2,500 containers of formula.
Back in Hillsborough, where the diaper bank is based, Schaefer-Old says the nonprofit is sharing its supply staging space with Day One Relief, another local rapid-response group in the area.
The diaper bank’s first stop tonight is a Black Mountain fire station. Afterward, the trucks will deliver infant formula to a clinic in Asheville that is caring for several premature babies, followed by a drop at the Cherokee Indian Reservation and drops in Mitchell and Yancey County.
It’s a careful effort and Schaefer-Old stresses that individuals shouldn’t load up a car and attempt to help before coordinating ahead of time with officials on the ground—for one, most cars are simply not being allowed back into the region without permission. But she hopes that people will pitch in, wherever they are, and contribute to the many local efforts coordinating supplies and donations.
The portrait of Helene emerging this week is that of a historic disaster requiring historic levels of collective action and generosity. In Hillsborough, the nonprofit is taking supply donations; it also accepts volunteers and has an Amazon wishlist.
There are many organizations to donate to—find a vetted list from Blue Ridge Public Radios here—as well as local ways to contribute to Hurricane Helene relief efforts in western North Carolina. Below, find a few of those local resources. This list will be updated on a rolling basis.
General links
Appalachian Voices | List of shelters, statewide drop-off sites, and organizations to donate to
The Assembly | Guide to applying for federal and state assistance
WNC Resource Guide | County-by-county resources
drop-off sites for supplies
Diaper Bank of North Carolina | List of hotspot drop-off locations | Amazon Wishlist | Donations |
Back Alley Bikes | 100 Boyd St, Carrboro, NC 27510 | Open Tues – Sat. 11 am to 6 pm
Burial Beer Co. | 500 E Davie St #170, Raleigh | Collecting items for Triangle YP Civitan
Dogwood Country Club | 2431 Crabtree Bld #101, Raleigh | Collecting items for Operation Airdrop
Raleigh United Mutual Aid Hub (RUMAH) | 415 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh | Drop off during events. See calendar on website.
Bond Brothers Beer Company | 202 East Cedar Street, Cary | Collecting items for Triangle YP Civitan
Raleigh Brewing | 3709 Neil Street, Raleigh | 2036 Renaissance Park Place, Cary | Collecting items for Operation Airdrop
Art Post | 718 Iredell, Durham | Open Monday-Saturday, 12 p.m.-6 p.m.
Bull City Smiles | 2705 North Duke Street, Durham | Mon-Thurs, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Fullsteam & Boxyard RTP | 900 Park Offices Drive, Durham | Collecting items for Triangle YP Civitan
Fuzzy Needle | 1005 W Chapel Hill St, Durham, NC | Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sun 11 am.-4 p.m.
Glass Jug | 545 Foster Street Suite 10 | Collecting items for Triangle YP Civitan
Maverick’s Smokehouse and Taproom | 900 W Main Street, Durham | Normal business hours
The Scrap Exchange | 2050 Chapel Hill Rd, Durham | Open Tue-Sun, 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
Volunteer opportunities
Triangle Mutual Aid | Sorting and organizing donations | Volunteer form here
Diaper Bank of North Carolina | Volunteering information here
The Blood Center | Information about donating blood
Animal care
Forsyth Humane Society is rescuing animals and coordinating emergency foster care. Its foster care network extends to Durham.
A list of North Carolina animal rescue organizations looking for donations and foster care homes.
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