HELP MASSAGE ENVY ASHEVILLE AREA EMPLOYEES

Asheville was decimated by torrential rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Helene, consisting of three days of extreme, unrelenting precipitation. The rainfall and flooding broke all records, and rivers were at the highest ever reported (for example, the Swannanoa River rose 5 feet above previous records). The damage in the state is already estimated to be over $17 billion! Currently, it’s estimated that tens of thousands of people in the Asheville area are still without running water, and roughly 137,000 people are still without power. The city water system was catastrophically damaged, with two of the three plants being completely disconnected from the water system. In addition, roadways reaching those water treatment facilities were washed away, delaying any repair efforts.

Some of our Massage Envy employees have experienced great loss, including a massive mudslide that took an employee’s home with it, an employee who had a basement wall collapse, some with severe water/flooding damage, etc. -- and I’m sure there are more that we’re unaware of at this time.

I’m Scott, the Franchisee of the two Massage Envy locations in Asheville, and as of October 3rd, I’ve brought 5 truckloads of bottled water, food, and other supplies from Charlotte to Asheville to support our employees. We stocked our two locations offering pick up times for team members to get necessities such as drinking water and food, and for those unable to get to a location, we mobilized the delivery of supplies to those in need. Our plan is to continue to provide our employees with bottled water, food, personal hygiene items, and other supplies and funds as needed until they are able to get back on their feet – this is where I could use your help!

I’ve personally been all over Asheville and the surrounding communities (Black Mountain, Candler, Canton, Fletcher, etc.) and while some areas will recover with only some tree damage, many areas look like a war zone. I’m not a charity, just a good Samaritan who wants to help ensure the safety and well-being of our Massage Envy family. Funds received will first go directly to bottled water, food, and needed supplies, and once that need has been met, giving will shift to some combination of gift cards, cash, and employee assistance distributed as fairly as possible, with 100% of funds received going directly to our employees.

If you’re local to the Charlotte area, you’re welcome to drop off supplies such as cases of water, food, toilet paper, female supplies, blankets, socks (and other warm clothing items), etc. at any Charlotte-area Massage Envy location. If you wish to ship items, please reach out to me directly for a delivery address.

Thank you for supporting our Massage Envy family during this desperate time of significant need!