In the six months since Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, BeLoved Asheville has helped thousands of people with meals, supplies and rebuilding, renewing hope in the process.
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00:00Long before Hurricane Helene,
00:01nonprofit Beloved Asheville has been
00:03helping people in Western North Carolina.
00:05Amy Cantrell co-founded
00:07the organization in 2009.
00:08We're just local people
00:09who love our community.
00:11One of the things is we show up
00:14no matter what the need is.
00:16Beloved Asheville's commitment runs deep
00:18after years of addressing housing
00:20challenges in the community.
00:21They were uniquely prepared to
00:23respond when disaster struck,
00:25and so out of that experience we
00:28were ready for this hour.
00:30From access to food to affordable
00:32housing and health care,
00:33Beloved Asheville was able to
00:35step up even more during Helene,
00:37building a village of affordable homes
00:39in Swannanoa in a non flood zone.
00:42At the height of their efforts,
00:44organizers served meals and other
00:45necessities for up to 15,000 people a day.
00:48They started right away.
00:49What do you guys need?
00:51What can we do for you right now?
00:53And they just have done.
00:55Everything that they could to be supportive,
00:57not just of us, but the whole the whole area.
01:01For Valerie Ellinger,
01:01rising floodwaters from Helene
01:03destroyed her home after she was
01:05rescued from her roof, the community.
01:06Was there to help in the face of
01:09devastation strangers became family
01:10from the moment we got on that roof.
01:13It has been a series of people
01:15stepping up and stepping out of
01:17their comfort zone and helping for
01:20no other reason but to help other
01:22people now as homes are rebuilt
01:24in neighborhoods come back to life.
01:26There's a renewed sense of hope.
01:28The light in the end of the
01:30tunnel is bigger. It's a son.
01:32In the end of the tunnel is a son
01:35and we saw the power that people
01:37in the community have. We want
01:39to make this home again.
01:40We feel like we belong here and
01:42with neighbors helping neighbors,
01:44that home is stronger than ever.
01:46For a few other I'm Ali Reed.