Hurricane Helene made landfall Thursday evening as a Category 4 hurricane in Taylor County, Florida. With 140 m.p.h. winds, the storm was one of the strongest ever recorded to make landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region. Helene’s destruction then continued through Georgia and the Carolinas, bringing life-threatening flooding, extensive power outages, and severe wind damage. Days later, communities across the Southeast are grappling with its impact. Below is a list of organizations working to help those affected by Helene.
Note: This article will be continually updated as we learn of additional organizations providing relief.
Across the Region
CARE
The Atlanta-based nonprofit is collecting funds to provide essential supplies and long-term recovery support for families in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. The organization specifically prioritizes aiding women and girls in its humanitarian efforts. Donations can be made here.
Salvation Army
The organization has dispatched teams across the South to provide emergency relief. To contribute to its efforts, visit its disaster response donation page here.
Americares
The nonprofit provides emergency medical relief after disasters and is actively collecting monetary donations to provide medical support on the ground after the storm. To donate, visit Americares’s Helene webpage.
Send Relief
This organization is coordinating its efforts with the Red Cross, FEMA, and the Salvation Army to deliver supplies to those in need in Perry and Live Oak, Florida, and near its ministry center in Valdosta, Georgia. Monetary donations can be made here.
Operation BBQ Relief
This organization provides hot barbecue meals to people displaced by disasters, including in areas affected by Helene. It has deployed trucks to the region. Donations to help provide meals can be made here.
American Red Cross
Red Cross volunteers are helping people across Helene’s path by providing food, disaster supplies, shelter, and additional help. The organization is accepting monetary donations to fund relief efforts and encourages people to donate blood to help those injured by the storm and support essential medical operations.
World Central Kitchen
This nonprofit provides food immediately after disasters and is currently set up in Tallahassee, Florida, to distribute hot meals to Big Bend residents. Monetary donations are being accepted to fund the World Central Kitchen’s food distribution operations in the Southeast.
All Hands and Hearts
All Hands and Hearts deploys volunteers to aid in short-term and long-term recovery efforts after disasters, including Helene. You can donate to Hurricane Helene relief through the organization’s Disaster Assistance Response Team here.
The Blood Connection
This blood donation organization, which serves hospitals in Georgia and the Carolinas, is calling for donations to ensure that vital operations can continue in the wake of Helene. To find a blood donation center, search for your location on the Blood Connection website.
GlobalGiving
Partnering with locally led nonprofits in Helene’s path, GlobalGiving has set up a relief fund to provide emergency medical supplies, food, and water to people and animals in need. Donations to the fund can be made on its website.
Operation Airdrop
This organization has started Operation Helene, a project to deliver supplies and meals to those in the storm’s path across the Southeast. To donate supplies or money or to volunteer, visit the Operation Airdrop website.
Florida
Mercy Chefs
The Virginia-based nonprofit is on the ground in Florida serving meals and helping residents, volunteers, and first responders. Donations may be made on its website.
Second Harvest of the Big Bend
One of Feeding America’s three emergency food distribution centers in Florida, Second Harvest is accepting volunteers and monetary donations to distribute food and water to those in need throughout Florida’s Big Bend.
Kearney Center
The Kearney Center is a resource for people experiencing homelessness in the Big Bend region and serves as an emergency shelter during disasters. Donations to support its services, including providing shelter and meals, can be made on its website.
United Way of the Big Bend
Monetary donations to the United Way of the Big Bend’s Natural Disaster Relief Fund support both short-term and long-term recovery efforts by funding food banks and disaster relief in the region.
Volunteer Florida
A state-run agency providing relief after disasters, Volunteer Florida works with the Florida Division of Emergency Management to operate an emergency hotline (1-800-342-3557) and deploy volunteers to help those in crisis. Those interested in volunteering, donating money, or donating supplies can learn more on its website.
Georgia
Georgia Baptist Mission Board
Made up of a collection of churches and volunteers across the state, Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s disaster relief program is accepting donations here to aid its volunteer deployment efforts.
Caring for Others, Inc.
With a focus on helping those in poverty, this organization has been collecting supplies and monetary donations to help Georgia residents in need. A link to donate to its “All Hands Mission,” which is a partnership with Convoy of Care, can be found here.
North Carolina
Hearts with Hands
This North Carolina–based nonprofit specializes in providing food and supplies during disasters. To see a list of ways to donate items or money or to volunteer to help with relief from Helene, visit its website here.
Samaritan’s Purse
The Boone, North Carolina–based nonprofit is sending disaster response volunteers to the hardest-hit areas. The organization often partners with local churches to aid communities and stays to rebuild destroyed homes. To donate to relief efforts and learn more about the organization’s work, click here.
Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry
The Asheville-based nonprofit provides transitional and permanent housing for homeless individuals in the area. In the aftermath of Helene, the organization’s Crisis Ministry has partnered with the Red Cross to provide flood support, housing, and food. Monetary donations can be made here.
If you know of other organizations providing relief, please let us know at editorial@gardenandgun.com.
To learn more about a charity before donating, consult sites such as Charity Watch, GuideStar, or Charity Navigator.
