Long Story
**Thank you so much for your contributions! We raised over two thousand dollars for the Community Housing Coalition for local housing repairs in the wake of Hurricane Helene!**
Many towns in western North Carolina have been decimated by Hurricane Helene. It ripped through our hills bringing flooding and high winds, ripping houses off their foundations and felling trees. In its wake, buildings and entire towns are left with inches of thick mud coating everything, trees down on roads, powerlines, and houses, along with river debris everywhere.
Living in Marshall, the devastation here has been particularly close to my heart. In the wake of the hurricane, Nanostead immediately began organizing efforts to get volunteers fed, suited up with PPE, and shuttled into town (Custom Sustainable Tiny Home Builder WNC | Nanostead ). We have spent many days shoveling mud out of downtown businesses, tearing out damp sheetrock and soggy insulation, and prying up buckled hardwood floors. We have witnessed the strength of our beautiful community banding together in this hard time. We have laughed together and cried together, sharing the resilience of the Appalachian spirit.
Finding breaks from dusty respirators and sweaty tyvek suits, I discovered Beacon of Hope (Donate — Beacon of Hope (bohmarshall.org). They are an amazing organization that ramped up their food pantry to supply the needs of our community. Handing out meals and supplies, we have been able to see the impact on our community directly.
In the weeks leading up to the storm, I was accepted into the Southern Highland Guild. I immediately began cranking out pots to present to Guild gallery managers in Asheville. Meanwhile, the universe had other plans. These pots had a greater purpose. So now, they are for sale online with all proceeds going to Marshall.
As our community rises out of immediate survival needs, the greatest necessity is money to begin rebuilding. Many of the downtown businesses have gofundme pages to donate to directly ( Help Marshall - Community Support and Relief Efforts ). I wanted to focus this fundraiser on individual's housing needs. To this aim, all proceeds from this pottery sale will be donated directly to the Community Housing Coalition ( Home - CHC Madison County NC).
If you have been looking for a way to help western North Carolina, and Marshall specifically, please consider donating to any of the links listed here or purchasing pottery to fund the Community Housing Coalition. In times like these, every little bit counts. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart <3
