Elk River Helping Hands Update

We're thrilled to share with you the progress we've made at Elk River Helping Hands assisting High Country residents in need, thanks to your empathy and generosity. Your support directly contributes to Hurricane Helene Relief and is making a tangible difference in the lives of those who suffered terrible losses. We are not only providing Helene relief, we have not forgotten one of our original missions, which was to aid people dealing with devasting medical issues.

The ERHH board has been very busy over the past five months. Here are a few highlights of recent activities:

• Financial Assistance

We provided financial assistance with direct cash disbursements in the immediate aftermath of the storm to 143 individuals and families. Once the initial shock of the hurricane passed, we began to evaluate larger needs of those who lost their homes or had significant damage to their homes. We have made 97 distributions for larger, more substantial needs, including assisting two families who are facing serious medical crises.

• Mobile Homes

We have provided two mobile homes to people who lost their homes in the storm and hope to have a third delivered soon.

• Vehicles

We have provided vehicles to four people who have been depending on others for transportation.

• Other Items

We have assisted families with furniture, sump pumps, rental equipment, the purchase of land, and funeral expenses. We have also assisted people with finding temporary accommodations, appliances, and more.

Our grant recipients have been blessed by your generosity which has allowed us to help so many people in need. In total, we have distributed $1,033,000 to date to our High-Country neighbors in need.

• Upcoming Events

The Elk River Helping Hands Concert Series will be held at Hayes Auditorium at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, NC, this summer. Tickets are available now at https://www.elkriverhelpinghands.org/Events. The concert dates and lineup of entertainers include:

June 6 – Jimmy Fortune / Darin & Brooke Aldridge
July 20 – John Oates / Jim Lauderdale
August 8 – Gary Morris / Presley Barker

We hope to see you at one or more of our concerts. All net proceeds from the concert series will be distributed by Elk River Helping Hands directly to those in the High Country in need of assistance due to devastating circumstances.

(Read full press release here.)

Be sure to visit our website to purchase your tickets.

• Other News

You can make donations through our website, set up recurring donations, and establish an account so you can view your donations. Click INSTRUCTIONS to set up your account now. You can also print your charitable donation tax statements through your online account. In the future, our progress reports will be issued by email only. If you would like to be included in our email distribution list, please email us at erhh@elkriverhelpinghands.org, or sign up for your online Aplos account.

By supporting Elk River Helping Hands, you’re helping us assist those people in Western North Carolina who desperately need help and those who have felt forgotten. You have allowed us to make a very positive impact on our community.

There are many more people who need assistance, and we continue to seek them out and determine the best way that we can help them. Many resist asking for help, and often those are the people who need it the most. We hope you will consider making an additional contribution, or setting up a recurring contribution, so we might continue our mission to provide as much help as possible to as many people in need as possible.

Thank you once again for your consideration and commitment to Elk River Helping Hands.

Sincerely,

Elk River Helping Hands Board of Directors