With the severe damage that Hurricane Helene inflicted on Asheville, NC, in September 2024, it was hard to know where to start to rebuild the vibrant Blue Ridge Mountains town beloved for its breweries, arts community, and heartfelt spirit.
The recovery task list was staggering. The town needed housing to address immediate and long-term needs after thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed. They needed to restore the water infrastructure to provide relief to thousands of residents who had no running water for more than a month. They needed arts and culture initiatives to support the creative community. There was storm debris to remove and road infrastructure to repair. The overarching goal was economic recovery to help local businesses reopen and thrive.
Enter thousands of volunteers from hundreds of organizations, locations, and business sectors. Here, a look at the helpers—from church and disaster recovery organizations to restaurants, breweries, and the arts community.
Disaster Recovery Volunteers: Fuller Center, Mennonites, Amish, and More
Arriving on the scene almost immediately were volunteers from organizations devoted to disaster recovery, bringing with them equipment and know-how.
“We made it to Swannanoa a few days after the hurricane and have been here ever since,” says Toni Ratliff, family partner/volunteer director for Fuller Center’s Disaster ReBuilders, the disaster recovery arm of Fuller Center for Housing, a faith-driven organization devoted to providing shelter in needy communities. “We’ve had well over a thousand volunteers during that time, with work ranging from mucking out when we first came in, to repairing homes, and now doing new builds.”
Working alongside have been volunteers from the Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS), the inter-Mennonite disaster relief agency in North America. Mennonite volunteers arrived with chainsaws and skid steer loaders to clear fallen trees from miles of rural gravel roads. The MDS crew included people from Ohio, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, along with Amish volunteers.
The Mennonite volunteers included groups of young women in traditional clothing using old-fashioned farm implements such as heavy metal rakes to clear property in Swannanoa. “We often partner with Mennonite groups such as Weaverland Disaster Services for recovery efforts,” says Toni Ratliff. “We get help from so many Mennonite and Amish volunteers who take time off a week at a time or longer to help.”
Breweries and Restaurants Give Back
Known as Beer City, USA, Asheville has more than 50 craft breweries that are beloved by beer aficionados and tourists alike. Immediately following the hurricane, the breweries played another role: They became distribution centers providing food, water, and supplies for thousands of Asheville residents impacted by the storm.
“The spirit of this town is incredible,” says Brock Ashburn, vice president of operations for Highland Brewery, the first craft brewery in Asheville. “Everyone helped everyone.”
The North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild established a foundation that has distributed $250,000 in business recovery grants to breweries and small businesses affected by the hurricane. The Guild has also coordinated donations through a ‘Pouring for Neighbors’ campaign where breweries—both in Asheville and around the country—designate a beer on tap whose proceeds will go toward donations.
Food purveyors have helped as well, with numerous restaurants throughout Asheville stepping up to provide free meals. In Swannanoa, a local pretzel shop became a lifesaver for Beacon Village residents: Blunt Pretzels transformed into a disaster relief kitchen immediately after Hurricane Helene, providing meals to the community affected by the storm. They have continued their efforts by establishing the Blunt Kitchen, which continues to serve free meals.
World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit dedicated to providing fresh meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises around the world, teamed up with Blunt Pretzels in efforts to deliver food and potable water immediately following the hurricane, arranging for tanker trucks to bring in 100,000 gallons of potable water every day.
Chai Pani, an Indian street food restaurant in Asheville, made a tremendous effort following the storm, cooking and distributing more than 30,000 meals, some of which had to be airlifted to isolated storm victims.
Bringing Back the Arts
In addition to destroying homes, Hurricane Helene’s floodwaters wiped out one of the most vibrant parts of Asheville—its arts community. The River Arts District, once home to hundreds of artist studios, suffered catastrophic flooding.
Matt and Melinda Self, whose home is one of the five projects that TOH TV is documenting in Season 47, felt the arts district impact firsthand: Melinda’s studio, which was located in Riverview Station—an early 1900s industrial building located along the French Broad River that had evolved into a center for working studios and art galleries—was completely destroyed. Matt’s sister, also an artist, is part of a group helping artists find new venues.
Through the efforts of hundreds of volunteers, studios and galleries have reopened. “The arts community is trying to build back up, but it is a long process,” says Matt.
