Keep Asheville Hopper on the Road for Recovery

As the owner of Asheville Hopper, I am devastated by the damage done by Hurricane Helene to not only the land but the businesses of Western North Carolina and Tennessee. Since 2020, Asheville Hopper has provided reliable ride services across Western North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina.

Now, we are tirelessly delivering crucial supplies to the hardest-hit communities, such as Swannanoa, Canton, Marshall, and Burnsville. We have been bringing supplies in from Charlotte and Atlanta to donation centers and providing them with their requests, which change daily.

We need your donations to keep our efforts going and keep our independent drivers on the road. Our business is the service industry, and our drivers are serving the community. Immediate contributions can be made via Venmo (@Avlhopper), and if you have large resources like generators or bulk supplies, please contact us. Together, we can help our region recover and rebuild. Thank you for your support.

**For Transparency:**

1. **Who We Are:** Asheville Hopper is a private ride service based in Asheville, North Carolina, operating since 2020. We provide transportation services within a 180-mile radius of Asheville.

2. **Where I'm From:** My name is Garret, I am originally from Sandy Springs, GA and have lived in Asheville for over 28 years with my family since 1995. I have deep-rooted connections with this community, having grown several businesses here, from a pizza delivery company serving East Asheville and the Reynolds community called "Pizza Now" to a Sales office for several Payment Processing companies called United Merchant Partners serving WNC and now Im the Owner/Operator of Asheville Hopper.

3. **My Relationship with Parties I'm Raising Money For:** The funds are being raised to cover transportation expenses, including fuel, repairs and other operational costs, so we can continue our crucial deliveries and distribution from donors and storage to distribution points which include many door to door missions.

We have also been making donations for relief efforts to Charities and Local distribution centers like Beloved Asheville, Blue Ridge Cowboy Church, The Mule at Devil's Foot, Ukiah, and UNETE, Swannanoa Fire Department, Grass Roots Aid Partnership, Total Flight Solutions as well as more partnerships with local businesses we are working on to provide hot meals, and areas for picking up food and supplies.

Additionally, we are directly delivering supplies to the communities hardest hit by the hurricane and taking dangerous roads to evacuate passengers from Asheville and surrounding areas.

4. **How the Funds Will Be Spent:** Donations will be used primarily to cover fuel, repair and operational costs for our independent drivers and administration who are picking up and dropping off essential supplies by volunteering their time and providing their own personal vehicles. Specific expenditures include:

Thank you for your trust and support in helping us aid our community during this critical time.

-The Asheville Hopper Team