All of this will end
Supporting Hurricane Helene relief efforts in Appalachia
For once I am sitting down to write this newsletter and I truly have zero clue where to begin. I have spent the last few days glued to my phone, watching footage from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina emerge. To start, since I’ve had lots of folks reaching out—the team who runs Good Folk are currently all based in the Central North Carolina area, a few hours from the mountains, and we are all safe and dry. My family, most of whom still live in Western North Carolina and the Appalachian Mountains we’ve called home for generations, are safe and working to support relief efforts. We are incredibly lucky and I am deeply thankful for that.
Many of our larger Good Folk community calls Appalachia home, and I am continually inspired by the mobilization we are witnessing. I especially recommend following our friend Jesse Barber, who is on the ground in Western NC right now with excellent coverage; you can see some of his photos here in The Washington Post.
I’m sharing below here a list of resources, orgs and mutual aid funds to donate to, as well as people who are sharing good on-the-ground coverage where mainstream media is currently lacking. This devastation is endless, yall. I can hardly wrap my head around it and there is nothing that I can put into words to communicate it. I’ve been writing about climate change in Southern spaces for years and I still never expected to see the mountains so ravaged. It is strange to see such familiar places become so distorted, to be so distant. Our collective threshold for disaster seems to be forced to expand constantly, far past the limits of what it should be. This destruction feels endless, ongoing. I do not know what to say. What I do know is that there is organizing. There is action. There is work to be done.
A few ways to help/support/donate:
100% of ticket sales from our upcoming event this weekend with Nathan Bowles will go to relief efforts in Western North Carolina. Funds will be dispersed across mutual aid and local orgs in Asheville and Madison County. If you’re in the Triangle area this weekend, please come join us!
Here is a list put together by folks on the ground of resources
This is a good document for folks in both NC and Tennessee about updates, communication, where to find food/gas/water/etc, and where to volunteer if you are trying to support
BeLoved Asheville is already on the ground doing excellent work; I recommend them for donations. You can send donations by Venmo here
Rural Organizing and Resilience (ROAR) is working in Marshall, NC
Mergoat Mag has a great guide to donating for those outside the region; in general, we recommend supporting local orgs and grassroots funds that are already in community and able to get donations directly to those most in need
The Southern Service Workers’ Union has a GoFundMe
For those in the rest of the state, you can find a list of donation drop off sites in the above post; Triangle folks, all Weaver Street locations are taking drop-offs!
Marshall-based musician Indigo de Souza has been posting lots of resources and is someone I highly recommend following. She is also accepting donations to repair and rebuild the home she lives in through Venmo, @indigofaraway
Cherry and Silver Iocovozzi (of Asheville restaurant Neng Jrs) are both posting great resources and are serving up food for those in Asheville
A beautiful post from Olly, also known as tattooist @_warmearthworm_
From The Assembly, more info on applying for FEMA and other ways to get support
The Appalachia Funders Network has a relief fund supported by a bunch of great orgs. They also have a great resource list for multiple Appalachian states affected
Please comment if there is anything you have to add to this list; we will also try to continually update. I am also posting on my personal social media with as many resources as I can. Lastly, in the midst of a contentious election, I’ll point out that anyone blaming Appalachia and saying this is “what we deserve” would do well to take a moment to listen to the voices in the region covering this disaster; it’s a continual point in this newsletter, which was born out of a belief that there are so many good folk here. Appalachia is a region that knows well how to organize and support itself; now is the time for those who have ignored it to turn their eyes, open their ears, and listen.