As people in the Appalachian mountain region are recovering from the catastrophic Hurricane Helene. Community members in Duluth are also providing donations and supplies for disaster relief. Eastridge Community Church is organizing local efforts to gather donations for people impacted from the category 4 disaster.

Hurricane Helene traveled 500 miles inland from the Florida coast, causing billions of dollars in damages and 230 deaths. Senior Pastor Tom Asbury says the damages caused by the category 4 hurricane hits close to home.

“Actually, I’m from that area. My family’s in southern West Virginia. So it was a bit personal watching it because had that storm shift at a little bit northeast. It would have impacted my family,” Asbury said. “I used to have meetings down there every year in Black Mountain and Montreat, and it’s an area that I love, but I also know that family members here in this church love it as well. So when we saw that happening, it was devastating to watch, but it’s also a bit personal.”

For the past few days congregation members at Eastridge Community Church have set up several drop off locations. Local efforts from Duluth residents donating several items like non-perishable foods, cleaning supplies and winter jackets can help with disaster relief.

“We’re going to be gathering up until October 20th, and so about 13 days, because they need it fast. We as a congregation are coming together to provide basic necessities, and this is where the church gets put into action and your faith gets put into action. You know, we’re a community here locally. We’re also a community as the city of Duluth. We’re also a community here in this nation, and we need to rally together to help these people who have lost everything. This is just an opportunity for the church to do good, and for us as a city to do good. I know when we had the floods here in Duluth, we needed a lot of help, and Appalachian needs a lot of help right now.”

The rebuilding after Hurricane Helene will take months if not years, according to experts. Justin Huibregtse an Associate Pastor at Eastridge Community Church says in the past he’s visited the remote areas in the Appalachian region. He says many rural communities desperately need donations, because of how far away they are from disaster relief.

“I’ve been to that area before. I know how rural it can get, and those mountains there are really hard to get to. So we’re hoping that getting some of these goods will serve the people that need to get them,” Huibregtse said. “There’s a large mobilization unit that’s getting down there. Those people need goods and support as well, so hopefully this will go to support everybody that’s down there.”

People have already donated some supplies like water, clothes, blankets, and other essential items. But there’s still plenty items that are needed like baby formula, diapers, and first aid kits. Eastridge community church is asking other businesses and churches for help whether it’s with donating, having drop off sites, or getting the word out.

“We’re accepting donations from every church, from every organization. We want everyone to be a part of it,” Huibregtse said. “We just happen to be the site where it’s at, so we can do a lot of things just for being centrally located here.”

People can bring their donations to Eastridge Community Church, Pike Lake Golf and Beach Club, Firestone Auto Care at Miller Hill Mall and Kivi Bros Trucking.

For more information on the local efforts of the items donated you can read more here. Also for another story about Hurricane Milton you can read more here.