******* As of 11/22 Money from this Gofundme and Venmo donations has purchased 3 Generators, 11 Portable Heaters, and a a suburban full of supplies like camping stoves, propane, etc. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

It's now cold in the mountains and the residents of WNC are not okay or back to normal. I am working with a few contacts. My original contact in Gerton still has families that would really like extra heaters and cold weather supplies. I was also put in touch with a young teacher in Barnardsville who lost a student in the flooding. She sadly, lost a student to the flu last year. I am working with her to bring some joy to her students and help with basic needs of some of the harder hit families in her class.

Please consider donating again and/or sharing to your networks. No amount is too small and is very appreciated. The people in WNC that were affected by Helene need our continued help.

Hurricane Helene has affected so many people and beloved areas in NC, TN, GA, SC, VA. It will take a long time for the people to recover, especially the smaller communities.

For those that do not know me, my name is Katherine McDonald. I live in Mt. Pleasant, SC with my two sons, Hudson and James. As a North Carolina native with the majority of my relatives in the Tri-Cities area of Tennessee, Western NC and Eastern TN are very special to my family and me. Just like a lot of you, the mountains are my happy place and I have spent a lot of time there throughout my life.

I am working with the Gerton, NC Fire Department to collect supplies and donations based on their specific needs. Gerton is a small community next to Fairview, NC on your way to Chimney Rock (coming in from Hendersonville). I will make trips from Charleston 1-2x a month until this community has their power and water restored. Please donate or check here for weekly item requests. Let's come together to help our fellow Americans through this unbelievable, life changing event.

I will be taking homemade cookies on each of my trips for the emergency workers in the area and the people of Gerton. If you would like to send some and live locally in Charleston, please contact me. A great way to get our kids involved. My next trip is the week of October 7th. On this trip, along with bringing more supplies, I’ll be taking at least 2 generators.

If you do not donate here (totally fine!) I encourage you to donate to organizations that have people serving the smaller communities so they are not forgotten. This will be a long road and the needs of the affected communities will change with the seasons.

Thank you for everyone who donated before the Go Fund Me was established and for those that donate now and in the future. Every dollar goes towards helping this small community maintain and get back on their feet.

With gratitude,

Katherine