Field Guide: Donation Spots, Restaurant Fundraisers, and Other Local Mutual Aid Efforts for Hurricane Helene Recovery

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Hi, happy weekend.

We’re now a week out from Hurricane Helene. If you live here, you likely have a tie to Western North Carolina: Maybe you’re from WNC, have loved ones there, or simply have taken enough Blue Ridge hikes to forge a relationship with the landscape.

It is difficult to process the scale of the destruction—entire towns wiped out, road systems buckled, and a North Carolina death toll of 110+ reached earlier today—and to imagine what it means for the future. If climate disaster felt abstract before, it no longer does. 

You’re probably also seeing astonishing reports of resilience, from mule rescues and crowdsourced documents to improvisational town halls, as the phrase “mutual aid” becomes more mainstream and people turn to one another when all other systems of connection are gone. Locally, you will find no shortage of this either—there are numerous fundraisers (one woman in my neighborhood is selling backyard flowers), donation drives, and volunteer opportunities.

You can look to this piece we published on Monday for a rolling list of local opportunities. Specifically, I know that Triangle Mutual Aid has taken many loads of supplies up to Western North Carolina and is actively seeking new donations. More information here. I don’t know of a real salve or takeaway at the moment besides leaning further into community.

Read ongoing coverage about the hurricane from our partners at The Assembly here. Blue Ridge Public Radio has also been a lifeline for people during the disaster; today, “light” websites of  Blue Ridge Public Radio, Enlace Latino NC, and WFDD also launched, which offer text-only (no graphics) service journalism for areas experiencing spotty service. Share with your people.

Thanks for reading the INDY, and hope you have a good weekend.

elsewhere in the culture section

Larry and Michel Antunez Lopez, siblings and co-owners of sneaker resale store Mad Kicks, grace our cover this week. The story, by writer Andrea Richards is about Jordans, their journey to opening a store on Main Street, and their vision for a streetwear community in Durham. (You will also learn a lot about shoes.) 

“If I told you five years ago, you wouldn’t believe me, because downtown was only a place you went to when you got court or something. Just to say that there’s retail that sells high-end sneakers and clothing in downtown Durham—you got to take that in.”

Also in the issue: An interview with the cake doctor about baking in the South and an interview with sports journalist John Feinstein about his new book on college basketball’s most polarizing program. (Hint: it’s Duke.)

out and about in the triangle

What do Gray Brooks, Oscar Diaz, Matt Kelly, and Mike Lee have in common? Okay—yes, they are all renowned local chefs; also, they (and several other chefs) are all pooling their talents to raise money for hospitality and restaurant workers affected by Hurricane Helene. The relief dinner will be held on October 13 at The Durham Hotel; all proceeds will go to the Southern Smoke Foundation Emergency Relief Fund.

You can find a list of dozens of local breweries participating in the “Pouring for Our Neighbors” fundraiser for the North Carolina Disaster Fund (NCDF); Morgan Street Food Hall is holding a fundraising day on October 13, also for NCDF. 

Venues across North Carolina—including Motorco, the Haw River Ballroom, The Pour House, and Cat’s Cradle—are also banding together; during October, a donation will be made with each ticket sale to help with recovery efforts. (Also, Sturgill Simpson is holding a WNC benefit concert at Koka Booth Theater on October 21!)

Quail Ridge Books is fundraising for an organization that provides relief to booksellers, local vintage resellers are holding an auction to fundraise for Asheville vintage resellers, and Little Waves Coffee also and Cocoa Cinnamon have some fundraising opportunities. It does seem worth noting that it’s always the small businesses in the most precarious industries—hospitality, bookstores, venues—that step up in times of need. (Your town now, local corporations!)

— Sarah Edwards —
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