Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Truer words were never spoken, and some local folks have taken that mantra to heart.
Members of the Fulks Run Ruritan Club have been inspired to assist the residents in areas of flood ravaged North Carolina. Hurricane Helene left towns in NC, Tennessee, parts of VA, plus areas all the way to Florida, totally devastated.
According to Jessica Delano, of the Fulks Run Ruritans, when asked who spearheaded this movement to help, “It was a mixture of Ruritan Zone President James Driver, coming up with the idea and contacting the Baton Ruritan Club down there. Jake Delano volunteered to drive the trailer down. The trailer was donated by Jim Bushong. I organized the drop-off days for the Fulks Run club, while several other clubs collected their own donations to the add to the trailer. Those included Broadway/Timberville, Linville Edom, Singers Glen, and Tenth Legion Mountain Valley. We did a very large delivery in early November, and an even larger delivery the second time, which included Christmas gifts for the children down there. Baton Ruritans and Cedar Valley Ruritans are the two groups that are distributing our items. They are very small clubs in NC doing a ton of work down there, trying to help. We will check in on them periodically after Christmas and see if we could help with any future needs. The needs list is ever changing, as folks navigate trying to get their living situations back on track.”
Having seen the losses and destruction down there, a group of 7 volunteers, with combined memberships in Ruritans, Lions Club, VFW, and Lacey Spring Pantry, were inspired to head on down to the Asheville area to work on area clean-up.
Pastor Scott Budde, of the Fulks Run Mt. Carmel Brethren in Christ Church, made a connection with Pastor Jim Curtis in the Asheville area. Through a coordination of the churches, trip arrangements were made, spending a Monday through Friday in December, working on the clean-up in the Asheville area. The volunteers were housed in a hotel in Asheville, the room costs covered by Pastor Budde’s church.
The group included Broadway residents Ed and Rose Harper, Joe Adolf, John Knepper, Dan Fraser, and Fulks Run residents Chuck DeHart and Jake Delano.
Rose worked in the kitchen, preparing meals for the workers. “My sole job was to feed ‘em! I put the menu together, and said this is what I need. Every morning, I got over to the church social hall, get the coffee going, get them a hot breakfast. The guys would pack their lunch, and I wouldn’t see them again till the evening. When they got back, their dinner would be ready.” Rose is nothing if not organized! With a letter from the Ruritans, she got an order of sausage and bacon from Gore’s Processing in Edinburg, generously donated to the cause, with an additional 50 pounds of cut up spare ribs for the church to give out down there! Whatever sausage and bacon wasn’t used to feed the guys, (along with the 50 pounds of spare ribs), was donated to the community. The Chimney Rock VFW Auxiliary, where Rose is a member, donated gravy mix. The Lacey Spring Pantry donated 7 pounds of chicken sandwich meat that was dispersed where needed.
Jake Delano operated an excavator, rented by the Ashville Covenant Reform Presbyterian Church, moving endless piles of debris and rocks with Chuck DeHart. They worked with a local farmer and another volunteer loading and moving rock in Barnardsville. Ed Harper and Joe Adolf, along with John Knepper and Dan Fraser, were on chainsaw duty, (or helping wherever needed), cutting up the many downed trees and wood for the local firewood ministry. The wood was going to people who were living in tents with a woodstove inside, and other campers or homes without heat. Ed said he enjoyed it, it was hard work, “but the thing of it is, you are helping people, and that’s mainly what we are put here for, I think. It gives you a good feeling.”
As Chuck stated, excavators are needed to “dig in, figuratively and literally! The whole thing is about the people down there and the need down there. Two most important questions to ask are ‘how are you doing?’ and ‘what do you need?’.
The volunteers said it was unbelievable, once you see it in person – the fields of debris, water that rushed through brick homes, bridges wiped out, metal I- beams bent, piles of rock, and holes 10 foot deep carved out by the water.
The town of Chimney Rock is gone, Biltmore Village and Banner Elk also washed away, as well and many other small towns and communities off the beaten path.
The volunteers made many personal connections down there, whether it was with the residents they were assisting, the volunteers from other areas, or other locals. They would all like to go back- the work is endless, some bridges may take years to rebuild, people need housing. It is one thing to read about it or see it on the news, but you can’t really imagine the total devastation unless you see it, and the people affected, in person. There was a flood in the area in 1916, but the flood this year far surpassed that level.
As Chuck said, “There is talk about people who need homes – they also need everything that goes into a home! These debris fields are full with everything including toys, furniture, cars, and the kitchen sink!” Ironically, in one photo, in the midst of all the debris, the only thing left standing was one water tower!
The tourist industry is off, traffic is rerouted, bridges are washed out, as are businesses, restaurants, and homes. In the midst of it all, “people are still friendly and neighborly.”
Rose had an extra new Bible, (through an Amazon order mix-up!) and brought it along with her. All 7 of the volunteers signed it and left it with the church to give to someone. She said “the pastor told me, I know exactly who can use this!” Rose said the Amazon order mix-up was meant to happen!
In speaking with Chuck, he said the group made amazing connections, and they are eager to go back as soon as it can be arranged. There might be a return trip in the works, to the flood ravaged area in January or early spring.
If you would like to physically help, or find out when the next donation truck might be heading down, contact the Fulks Run Ruritan Club, your church, or local civic or service organization. The need will be there for years.
