Bales of Hay

Relief Effort from Tropical Storm Helene in Western North Carolina

Since Helene’s arrival to the Southern Appalachian Mountains on Thursday September 26th, the lives and landscape of a place I call home have been forever changed. As soon as news outlets began reporting stories of torrential rains and severe flooding, I began receiving texts and calls from friends all over the US, and by Sunday morning I had become overwhelmed by the number of people who had called, emailed or messaged, just checking to see if my family and I were safe, and if any members of our feed program needed anything, and to offer your prayers. I can assure you that while waiting impatiently to hear from family and friends back home in Haywood County, I felt every prayer. I’m blessed to be able to say that all of my family & friends in my hometown community are safe, but I ask that you continue to keep those who were less fortunate in your thoughts and prayers.

A common theme running throughout all of the impacted area is the devastation of the bottom farmlands and structures that lie along the banks of the region’s numerous rivers. Over the last 50 years here in N.C., I’ve seen the effects of hurricanes and rain, and their ability to create unimaginable floods along our eastern shore as well as our blue ridge mountains, but what residents of our mountain communities witnessed during Helene was different, it was the power of water to wash away all that you owned and all that you’d built, and then replace it with mud, silt and debris.

One of the vital resources that farmers have lost as a result of this storm is access to quality forage. 1,000’s of round bales were carried away, countless square bales lie inside flooded barns and buildings, and 1,000s of acres of pasture are either covered in silt or littered with tons of debris. As we’ve reached the first of fall, it will likely be 6 months before any new forage crops are harvested in the US, thus limiting this critical resource even further.

Your donation, regardless of its size, can have a significant impact.

I take great comfort in knowing that through their sense of community the small family farms that lie along those river banks will survive by relying on each other.

In order to do my part, I’m reaching out today to my community, the AAFCO community, and asking you to please consider donating. Your donation is greatly appreciated as your generosity will truly make a difference in the lives of others.

Donations will be handled through WNC Communities, a non-profit who will act as fiscal agent and whose mission is to empower mountain communities through collaboration and agricultural opportunities.

Thank you for your friendship, your support, and for sharing this message across your organization. No matter the challenge, we are Better Together.

Sincerely,

George R Ferguson
A Friend of AAFCO

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