URGENT: Helene Disaster Relief
Learn about what's happening and how you can help!
***scroll all the way down to see the most recent updates as they come in!
In this post, we will be updating information about:
Donating Supplies: requested item lists and drop-off sites
Donating Funds: organizations & collectives to donate to
Volunteer Needs: ways you can get involved
RUMAH Updates: groups we’re working with, donation disbursement processes, updates from volunteers
If you have news to share from WNC, please email info@trianglemutualaid.org
Donating Supplies
Below are lists of requested items being collected for distribution to western NC communities, as well as several drop-off locations in the Triangle area.
A message from volunteers on the ground sorting donations at larger hubs & warehouses: “To help with logistics if you are bringing a large load of supplies to drop off at hubs (to the Raleigh or Hillsborough warehouses), it’s super helpful to have an inventory list and even better to have things pre-sorted and labeled in bins, boxes, or bags.” Smaller donations can go to any drop-off site (listed below).
RUMAH does not have the capacity to pick up donations from local drop sites, we encourage you to still hold food/tool/camping item drives and bring them to the Raleigh Warehouse. PLEASE No more clothing and bedding!! We plan to ramp up collection and delivery to WNC hubs.
Please try to bring supply donations directly to a warehouse location!
The Raleigh Warehouse (RUMAH & Democracy Green) at 1415 S Bloodworth St, Raleigh, NC 27610 - open during any Hurricane Relief Drop-Off times listed below and on RUMAH’s calendar (https://bit.ly/RUMAHcal):
open weekly Wednesdays-Fridays, 2:00pm - 6:00pm
open weekly Saturdays, 12:00pm-5:00pm
The Asheboro Warehouse (Democracy Green) at 453 Oakhurst Rd, Asheboro NC - open Monday-Thursday, 7:30am-4pm
The Hillsborough Warehouse has CLOSED as of 11/7/24
Smaller donations can be brought to any drop-off location (see a list below of locations around the Triangle). There are lots of other donation drop-off sites across the Triangle too, including a list from our friends at various Latine organization across NC (click here):
Donating Funds
Here are some options to donate directly to those living and organizing in western NC communities:
Volunteer Needs
If you would like to help sort donations, load and unload vehicles, or learn more about current volunteer needs, please come by the Raleigh warehouse on Bloodworth Street during any of the Hurricane Relief Drop-Off times listed on our calendar (https://bit.ly/RUMAHcal) to speak with a RUMAH volunteer in-person!
You can show up during any scheduled warehouse hours to help volunteer. We will be looking for drivers, sorters, and people who can help acquire things for WNC/Warehouse operations. If you are dropping off or coming to volunteer, please pull around through the green gate!
If you are interested in becoming a long-term volunteer with RUMAH, click here
Thank you to everyone who has been reaching out to offer support! Please know this is a chaotic time, and RUMAH volunteers are doing our best to address this immediate and urgent need in our state. If we do not respond to your instagram message or email right away, we promise we are doing our best and will reach out if we are able to! For now, this newsletter has the most up-to-date information on how to help out. Thank you, RUMAH loves you, and solidarity to everyone dealing with this disaster. <3
RUMAH Updates
Photos from relief efforts are below. Scroll past the photos to see updates from volunteers as they come in!
First, here’s a rundown of the disaster relief coalition & organizations we’re working with:
RUMAH TEAM UPDATE FROM NOVEMBER 7 2024
Keep talking about WNC! Our warehouse team is back with WNC Disaster Relief updates! The following pictures (see end of post) are from this past month’s efforts working out of RUMAH and the Raleigh Warehouse. Deliveries in these pictures were sent to MADR hub in Asheville, Union Hall hub in Asheville, BeLoved, West Jefferson Jimmy & Jean’s Arcade Hub, Foscoe Community Center and State Line Resource Station. During the first week and half of the disaster, we collected donations and contributed a steady stream of supply runs to WNC. After that first week, we were given access to a local warehouse to continue doing collection and supply running on a larger scale. Between moving to a barebones warehouse, setting it up, troubleshooting an array of logistics, while trying to run our normal event schedules at RUMAH, we were pretty overwhelmed! However, we deeply appreciate all the patience, support, and donations from you all! It's been a whirlwind of a month, but we finally got some breathing room to share and settle things with the warehouse. What we’ve learned throughout this process, is that building a stable community and sustainable network is key for our longevity in our region. This disaster has been unprecedented. The complexity of politics to emerge from WNC is a heavy weight in itself, on top of the destruction and devastation of people's lives and the environment. Disaster capitalism rears its ugly head in many ways, property theft and evictions being prime examples. Efforts and petitions are underway via an array of grassroots organizations to provide support to people experiencing evictions, property/human rights violations, and environmental restoration. It may seem bleak to share that this isn’t the only major disaster we will experience, but a reality for not just NC, but our larger region. If you choose to vacation out west, choose to dedicate a chunk of it to volunteering at the various free-store hubs. People are needed for a variety of types of labor. Or consider loading up your car and delivering items on your trip. We want to encourage you all to think about the future, what we mean to each other, and understand that we are all we have, to keep each other safe. Take part in breaking bread with your neighbors. The cracks in our society are much larger than we think, and more and more people fall through everyday. Let's create a mutual aid security net that we can control and count on. Our future doesn’t have to be bleak, there is enough for everyone. Our future can be full of love and prosperity if we work together to sustain ourselves, regardless of the powers that be. “We are not in the least afraid of ruins. We are going to inherit the earth, there is not the slightest doubt about that. The bourgeoisie might blast and ruin its own world before it leaves the stage of history. We carry a new world, here, in our hearts. That world is growing this minute.”
UPDATE 9/30/24 5:22pm updated lists of donation sites, needed items, and added photos from the most recent disbursement
UPDATE 10/1/24 12:45pm Added additional resources, updates on warehouses, organizations we are collaborating with, how to help, and where to donate
UPDATE 10/1/24 5:07pm Added places to donate to, added photos from more donations heading to disbursement. RUMAH has also diverted $300 from individual community donations to a collective on the ground organizing in WNC, Pansy Collective
UPDATE 10/2/24 1:20pm Added photos from recent truck loads heading to disbursement at our partner warehouses. RUMAH has also diverted an additional $300 from individual community donations to a collective on the ground organizing in WNC, Appalachian Medical Solidarity. RUMAH has spent $295.84 of donated funds on supplemental items that have been requested by folks on the ground in western NC.
UPDATE 10/2/24 3:27pm Added more times to drop-off list. Dropping additional updates here from RUMAH volunteers:
RUMAH has had an INCREDIBLE show of support and donations!
RUMAH is currently focusing on getting things out of the space (as we maintain a steady flow of donations in). Some are going straight to our connections in Western NC, some to a warehouse from which drivers will be further dispatched, and some to satellite locations.
RUMAH is currently still confirming the addition of a Raleigh warehouse - hopefully an update on that soon!
RUMAH’s plan is to establish regular daily deliveries to the warehouse to keep up with donated items coming to The Hub (415 Hillsborough) location. We are also actively working to determine additional designated drop-off hours for the weekend and next week.
Monetary donations to RUMAH for Helene relief are being spent on redistribution of funds and supplementing donations with important/larger things that we do not see coming in as much, and will assess other needs as they come up (incl. possible volunteer support, e.g. buying lunches for volunteers).
Thank you all - so many of you have showed up so hard and so fast that we can't even list you all. Comms are hectic, so if your needs get overlooked feel free to ping again. Thank you all!!! We love you all so much!!!!!!!!
UPDATE 10/2/24 5:28pm Added more organizations to donate to.
UPDATE 10/3/24 1:40pm Adding details on recent progress & photos of recent deliveries:
Earlier this week, RUMAH coordinated several deliveries of loaded vehicles to the Hillsborough warehouse as well as direct delivery to various groups on the ground across Western NC.
10/2/24 around 9am, a large U-Haul packed with requested supplies was delivered directly to the Asheville Tool Library.
10/2/24 around 1pm, a large cargo van and another vehicle packed with requested supplies was delivered to the Hillsborough warehouse for disbursement. A covered truck bed packed mostly with water and gatorade was also delivered to the Hillsborough warehouse around this time.
10/2/24 around 7pm, a large truck bed was packed for direct delivery to smaller towns including Celo, Barnard, and Pensacola. Supplies included gasoline, gas containers, baby diapers & formula, food, and other requested supplies.
10/3/24 around 10am, a U-Haul trailer and a large truck were packed with a variety of requested supplies, including sanitation items, hygiene items, food, and medical supplies, and is en-route for direct delivery to Asheville.
10/4/24 around 10am, a school bus from Greenfield School in Wilson, NC dropped off a ton of items at RUMAH for disbursement. RUMAH got the keys to a new warehouse location in Raleigh around noon this day. At least 9 other drivers delivered loads of supplies to multiple warehouse locations for disbursement.
UPDATE 10/3/24 8:40pm Reorganized information for clarity, added photos and updated links.
UPDATE 10/4/24 11:33am Added newest supply lists from multiple locations with high-demand items to “Donating Supplies” section. Added image of driver schedule for 10/4 deliveries.
UPDATE 10/5/24 12:14am Added photos and details about the new Raleigh warehouse location operated by RUMAH and Democracy Green!
UPDATE 10/7/24 1:20pm Operations continuing, multiple drivers dispatched per day, tracking resources and on-the-ground information in our instagram page highlights!
UPDATE 10/14/24 3:09pm Added new drop-off hours for this week.
UPDATE 11/9/24 8:40am Added message from RUMAH volunteer below, update from RUMAH team above, more photos, new donation updates in sections above.
This week, my partner and I delivered supplies to the Mutual Aid Disaster Relief warehouse ( MADR) in Asheville.
Like many of you, I have a deep love and connection to these mountains and I knew that this trip had the potential to be an emotional one. Even though I was bombarded with images on social media and stories from loved ones, what I saw took my breath away. Old Fort ,for one, located at the foot of Pisgah forest where the Catawba river poured onto the streets, I witnessed debris piles almost as high as buildings, homes in shambles, thick dried dirt covering vegetation and people living in tents. This scene repeated itself in Swannanoa, in Black Mountain and those are just the communities I could easily access from I-40. We all know the devestation goes beyond those communities and is widespread.
River Arts district was destroyed. Most of it has been cleared and they are now asking for assistance so that they can rebuild. You can go to riverartsdistrict.com to donate or buy directly from the artists.
Other parts of Asheville faired well but many businesses, specially the ones with food service are struggling due to lack of potable water putting many people out of work. Businesses with more resources were able to come up with systems so that they could remain open and keep their staff employed. This is a privilege that is not afforded to everyone and I worry about the smaller businesses. Many of my favorite spots were closed.
When I arrived at the Asheville tool library, who now shares space with the Mutual Aid Disaster Relief Warehouse, I was greeted by familiar faces with open arms, hot coffee and gratitude. I was deeply moved by what I witnessed there, a community that had come together to take care of each other at a time of great need. They had a makeshift kitchen where they served hot meals to volunteers, they had a water station fed by the creek behind the warehouse and many small buildings where donations were organized by type and need.
This community is resilient it is true but they have gone through alot. I held space for a volunteer who spoke with tears in their eyes showing clear signs of PTSD. All were so grateful and send their love to those who have helped here in the Triangle.
The Triangle Mutual Aid group and the Raleigh Mutual Aid Hub’s volunteers sprung into action immediately after the hurricane setting up warehouses to hold donations working with different groups to fill trucks and send them out to communities in need. This made a difference. Thank you to everyone who helped.
The ranger at Pisgah Forest told me that there are no funds to replace their much needed equipment and that it is going to take a long time to recover. The work is only beginning.
Remember that we take care of each other and there are many ways you can help. They need boots on the ground to remove muck from the buildings and homes. They need supplies to do this work. They also need every day supplies as some dont have jobs and little money to go around. A way to help is to join us and volunteer at Rumah’s warehouse. We would love to have you.
There will be more disasters ahead and times where we need to come together as a community. Let’s put in the work and always remember we have each other.