When Tropical Storm Fred dumped massive amounts of rain on western North Carolina in August 2021, CBFNC leaders got in touch with church leaders in the region to offer support, facilitate communication and initiate ministry planning.
Haywood County, as well as other surrounding counties, is experiencing devastating flooding. Approximately 500 families have been displaced from their homes. Emergency management personnel are still conducting the initial response and assessing damage.
Area churches are embracing their neighbors in a variety of ways. CBFNC consulted with church leaders about initial, immediate needs and is also preparing for possible long-term ministries.
We determined the best initial response was to cooperate as a fellowship to address two urgent needs:
- Plastic Storage Totes
- Disaster Response Buckets
And it was no surprise that our fellowship responded to the calls for help! On Saturday, September 4, many wonderful volunteers who gathered at Hominy Baptist Church in Candler for the CBFNC “Bucket Brigade” to pack cleaning supplies for flood victims in the Haywood County area. Because of our fellowship’s generosity—of money, supplies or time—over 200 families who were impacted by flooding in the area will receive much-needed supplies. In addition, CBFNC was also able to provide almost 1,000 plastic totes to help these families salvage their belongings.
Special thanks to FBC Morganton, FBC Weaverville, FBC Asheville and Hominy Baptist, Candler, along with students from Western Carolina, UNC Asheville and Mars Hill University who spent Saturday morning packing the buckets. We also want to thank FBC Canton and Crusoe for distributing these supplies to those in need.
Future Plans for Long-Term Support
Plans are being developed for additional support to this area through work teams and other initiatives. Please stay tuned for more details.
In the meantime, those interested may give to support future disaster response efforts online at: https://cbfnc.org/give-to-cbfnc/#online-form
(Select “Disaster Response” when the form asks Where would you like to direct your gift?)
You may also give by mailing a check to CBFNC, 2640 Reynolda Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27106.
Click below to see a local news story from ABC 13 about the Bucket Brigade:
At ‘bucket brigade’ event, volunteers pack 200 buckets with supplies for flood victims.