Total Nearly $9M

RALEIGH, N.C.—A total of $3.45 million in disaster relief funding for hurricane victims in western North Carolina is being provided by the  SECU Foundation, the third phase of relief funding it has approved.

The funding will help address long-term housing needs, resources for at-risk groups, and organizational capacity to meet increased demand for services, the foundation said.

Grantees include: 

• Baptists on Mission (Wake County) – $2 million to repair and rebuild up to 100 damaged homes across the western region, including drywall replacement, roof repair, HVAC replacement, and new flooring.
• Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (Buncombe County) – $500,000 to increase facility capacity and expand staff resources to onboard and manage a corps of volunteers for delivering regional emergency and disaster relief services.
• Note in the Pocket (Wake County) – $250,000 to support human resource expansion and deployment for training and volunteer coordination at WNC agencies and to secure temporary warehouse space to accelerate the timeline for processing donated clothing.
• Mountain Projects (Haywood and Jackson Counties) – $200,000 to assist with organizational capacity to provide case management for the increased number of displaced individuals and families seeking emergency services.
• Hospitality House of Northwest North Carolina (Watauga County) – $200,000 to assist with increased organizational capacity to provide financial crisis assistance, case management for responding to hurricane-related housing needs, and increased food services for displaced individuals and families in their seven-county service area.
• Rutherford Housing Partnership (Rutherford County) – $200,000 to increase capacity to fund urgent home repairs, especially for those without insurance or who will not receive government assistance.
• Crossnore Communities for Children (Avery County) – $100,000 to support trauma resiliency efforts for neighboring communities impacted by Hurricane Helene and restoration of the storm-damaged Crossnore campus to address trauma-related impact for the children and foster families it serves.

Initial Funding

The SECU Foundation said it initially provided a relief package of $3.75 million, then in December added a second phase of giving at $1.75 million. This third phase brings the total to nearly $9 million for relief and recovery efforts.

“We are so grateful to be able to provide additional funding to assist our Western North Carolina communities,” SECU Foundation Board Chair Chris Ayers said in a statement. “The grants made to these seven organizations will help address many crucial areas, including food, housing, and restoration of important services. We look forward to seeing the positive impacts of this funding on our neighbors who have been devastated by Hurricane Helene.”