Hurricane Relief Efforts Roundup and Updates!
[originally written and emailed to our Kelly’s Kitchen email list on October 14, 2024]
In the ELEVEN days since Hurricane Helene hit parts of Florida, Western North Carolina, Tennessee, and parts of South Carolina and FOUR days since Hurricane Milton hit most of Florida we have been busy providing direct relief resources and funding to organizations that are on-the-ground supporting those impacted by the hurricane.
We know that food insecurity becomes a greater issue during a natural disaster, which is why to-date we have been able to provide thousands of dollars in direct relief efforts to some great organizations, some of which are members of our Food Security Network.
Learn more about where funding has been going and how it is positively impacting the lives of individuals impacted by both Hurricane Helene AND Hurricane Milton below.
And remember, your donations help us continue to provide this direct financial relief and support!
We have changed the way we accept donations to make it easier to get those funds to individuals with little-to-no service! We now have a Venmo account that you can directly donate to.
Search @Kellys-Kitchen on Venmo and you will find us! Any amount helps!
Highlighting Organizations On-The-Ground Who Have Received Funding from Kelly’s Kitchen
Chef Terri Terrell in Leicester, North Carolina
We have provided two rounds of funding to Chef Terri Terrell in Leicester, NC. Chef Terri is making hot meals for residents and ensuring that they are being delivered to residents who are homebound due to the extreme damages in the area, are members of the aging community, or due to a disability that prevents them from being able to navigate their community right now.
We are really excited and proud to be able to connect with a chef, Terri Terrell, in Leicester, NC who is making a really big impact on her community by providing hot meals to Hurricane Helene victims and connecting with local farmers to ensure they also have a way to sell their produce and sustain a living.
Some of the local farmers that she has connected with are:
The Clarksdale
Gaining Ground Farm
Mountain Foods CSA
Kickback Asheville (who delivers food to individuals with disabilities and members of the aging population who cannot get food from distribution sites)
Leicester Community Center
Utopian Seed Project
Old North Farm
The food cycle is one that relies on one another for success - and during an emergency, we know that it is essential to help this food system and address food insecurity at all levels.
Hear from Terri herself after the first round of funding:
“I am so overwhelmed with Kelly’s Kitchen’s kindness and for thinking of us in Leicester. Kelly’s donation kindness was able to buy fresh produce, veggies, supplies, and cash support today! I was able to support Gaining Ground Farms, Mountain Foods, Wellness Goods, Jennie from Kickback delivery and about 500 people at the Leicester Community Center.”
We are also thankful to Terri for connecting us to Transformation Village, a housing program for 100 women with disabilities who lost all their kitchen appliances due to hurricane damage. With her assistance we have been able to provide funds for this organization to purchase more kitchen appliances and increase their food security needs.
Update from Terri Terrell as of a few days ago and how she utilized her second round of funding:
“Yesterday, I bought 50 lbs of okra from Gaining Ground Farm and Old North Farm and today we went to the farmers market and set up a stand and handed out free produce and I cooked fried okra and handed it out.
In addition, we bought all the leftover produce from the farmers at the markets today and will distribute on Monday at the distribution center.
The community is incredibly grateful to us for supporting the farmers and providing them with fresh produce which they do not have access to.
Your donations have provided so many farmers support and provided people healthy, fresh food options.“
New Disabled South
At Kelly’s Kitchen we are proud of the work we do, and it is one of our organization tenets to connect communities in need who are food insecure and at high risk of not getting the nutrients and foods they need with local organizations.
This is why we are thrilled to have provided New Disabled South with funding that goes towards direct relief efforts to people negatively impacted by Hurricane Helene in the South.
“New Disabled South received an overwhelming response to our mutual aid efforts with more than $152,000 total in requests for payments between $150 and $300.
We are grateful for the additional $12,000 raised through grassroots supporters, and $10,000 from our friends at Kelly’s Kitchen to support requests from food insecure people. This has allowed us to distribute $42,000 to impacted people across the South. We still have more than $110,000 in requests. Any support to our fund will go directly to those still in need. Thank you for your support!”
Project 70Forward
We are proud to partner with Project 70Forward to provide funding to assist with their Hurricane Helene relief efforts!
A longtime food justice advocate and partner, we were able to send funds to Executive Director and Founder Judith Brown to cover three additional trucks and fuel!
Volunteers went up to Asheville, NC and are on their way back this evening. They worked with Beloved Asheville to ensure resources went to a specific nursing/senior housing location.
They now have a list of other similar locations that they are working on collecting supplies for.
Thanks and shoutouts to Project 70Forward and their partner agencies:
- The Workers from Charlotte, NC
- Sharkeeta Stevenson and members of New Outreach Christian Center
- Kendra Hunter of Kendra with Kindness
- Block Love CLT
- James Lee and Associates
Trailside Church
Kelly’s Kitchen has been working “boots on the ground” in Greenville, SC and Travelers Rest, SC to #FillTheTruck with Trailside Church, who is sending multiple trucks full of essential supplies such as non-perishable canned food, baby formula, diapers, hygiene items, water, PPE, gluten-free non-perishables, etc. to Western North Carolina.
We are grateful to be able to assist by providing these items as well as a Generac generator to those in need.
Jasper Apartments in Swannanoa, NC
Kelly's Kitchen has donated essential funding to ensure that hot meals get to residents of the Jasper Apartments in Swannanoa, NC that have been negatively impacted by Hurricane Helene.
Meals will be provided in collaboration with Friends of Swannanoa, and meals will go to residents, many who have lived in the apartment complex for 30+ years and are unable to leave due to the devastation and damages.
By assisting in this effort, we are ensuring that members of the aging population, that are unable to physically get out of their housing complex, are getting a wellness check and much needed food.
Please consider donating so we can continue to donate and support organizations and individuals in Western North Carolina who have seen levels of damage and food insecurity never thought possible from a hurricane. Donate to our Venmo, where ALL proceeds will be given right back to the community.
Transformation Village
Kelly's Kitchen is beyond thrilled to donate funds to Transformation Village; an agency that provides support services to women with various disabilities (including PTSD, Substance Use Disorder (SUD), and Mental Health Diagnoses).
Due to Hurricane Helene all their refrigerators and microwaves were ruined. They now have power back at their housing location, but no way to keep food cold or cook/heat up food.
We have partnered with Chef Terri Terrell in Western North Carolina to ensure funds get provided directly to Transformation Village to purchase these essential kitchen resources!
"Transformation Village provides up to 100 beds of transitional housing for homeless women, mothers with children, and Veterans.
Transforming lives is through four developmental phases called Steps to Success.
- Stabilization, with all the basic necessities provided;
- Life Skills Training, with over 60 volunteer courses to choose from;
- Education and Professional Training Certifications that lead to living wage jobs;
Reintegration that leads to permanent housing.
8 out of 10 leave us with a living wage job and permanent housing.
At Transformation Village, lives are transformed through counseling, training for living wage employment, and help with reintegration into the community. Residents receive health care, healing, hope, and a home. Within a year of arriving homeless at the shelter, 8 out of 10 guests find a good job and resettle into permanent housing."
Consider donating to Kellys Kitchen at our Venmo (@kellys-kitchen) so we can continue to help organizations that need support during the aftermath of hurricane season.
Feed the People
Kelly's Kitchen has been working tirelessly to provide funding and support to food support organizations and networks in more rural areas of Western North Carolina that have seen significant damaging impact from Hurricane Helene.
We have provided a donation to Feed the People, a local organization providing hot meals and delivering them to rural community members who are unable to get to distribution locations either due to disability, age, or the state of inaccessible roads or getting out of their homes. They are providing 500+ meals to residents in Barnardsville, NC; OldFort, NC; and Hot Springs, NC.
We are thankful to be able to help provide funding so that those who are in the highest need can get access to food, warm meals, and a wellness check inside their home.
Assisting The United Cajun Navy, The Cajun Army, and State Highway Patrol
We know that parts of Florida were hit hard by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.
Kelly’s Kitchen has actively been coordinating and working with the United Cajun Navy and members of the various state and highway patrols to help prep and plan for Milton’s arrival and to assist now that Milton has touched down and caused devastation.
Crisis Response International, AVL Church, and Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack in Arden, North Carolina
This is what 500 hamburger buns and 40 pounds of salt look like!
Kelly’s Kitchen is so proud to continue to positively help community members and organizations IN the community who are making sure people have food and are receiving hot meals!
We place emphasis on ensuring that community members with disabilities and members of the aging community, who may not be able to get to food distribution locations, are being prioritized!
We assisted residents living in Arden, NC get hot food meals by partnering with Crisis Response International, AVL Church, and Rockys Hot Chicken Shack.
From a volunteer, Colleen:
“Crisis Response International has partnered with Rocky’s Hot Chicken in Arden, NC, and AVL Church to serve the local community. Together, we’ve set up a food truck and distribution center in their parking lot, where we’ve been providing hot meals and clean water to 600-1500 people daily. The gratitude from those receiving these meals has been overwhelming, and we’re honored to support our neighbors in this way.”
Keep doing the good work!
Food Connection in Asheville, NC
We have been asked by Food Connection in Asheville, NC to send out a message requesting direct donations to support Western North Carolina.
HURRICANE RELIEF MEALS – DIRECT DONATION OPPORTUNITY
As you may be aware, Asheville and Western NC suffered generational flood damage in Hurricane Helene. Food Connection is an Asheville-based non-profit serving the needs of Western NC since 2015.
The need for Food Connection services is dire. Food is in very short supply. And demand has never been higher or more difficult to meet logistically. Not everyone can get to central food distributions.
Food Connection is raising funds to help address the resulting unprecedented food crisis. The mobile meals packing and delivery truck Food Connection launched three years ago to serve those ‘beyond the bus line’ is now a lifeline for the most vulnerable in the community.
Your generous donations will be put to work directly and immediately into feeding the Asheville area of Western NC. Thank you for your kindness and please indicate our organization’s name on the memo section in the checkout process. If you would be so kind as to forward to other like-minded friends and family, Western NC thanks you.
Bread of Life Food Pantry
Kelly’s Kitchen has provided funding to assist Bread of Life Food Pantry with hurricane relief efforts and supply donation and acquisition in Greensboro, NC to send to Asheville, NC.
“The Bread of Life Food Pantry of New Jerusalem Cathedral endeavors to eliminate food insecurities & hunger building healthier families and sustainable communities.
You can help!
DONATE: non-perishable items, gift cards to local grocery stores, or monetary donations. You can give monetary donations via CashApp or Givelify
***(PLEASE note BOL Donations in the memo section)***
Contact us at breadoflife@newjc.org or Call (336) 272-1305 today.”
If you live in Greensboro, NC and want to help those impacted by Hurricane Helene, contact Bread of Life Food Pantry.
If you are community member in Greensboro who needs assistance with food or food security, please contact them for that support as well!
Donate to Help Decrease Food Insecurity During Hurricane Devastation
At Kelly's Kitchen our mission is to promote healthy nutrition in the whole community, with a focus on providing education on ways to access healthy food, explore employment possibilities in the food and beverage industry for seniors and people with disabilities, ensure food security, and learn healthy preparation techniques.
Kelly’s Kitchen wants to support the important, lifesaving work of our food justice neighbors who are assisting individuals affected by Hurricane Helene. Please consider donating to our mission.
Click Here to Donate via Venmo
100% of donations given will go to organizations in Hurricane-impacted areas who are assisting individuals with disabilities and members of the aging population who are experiencing increased food insecurity at this time.
If there is a specific organization that we have highlighted that you want to contribute to, please put that information in the notes and we will be sure to get it to that specific organization or person!