DONATE HERE: American Red Cross & ABC11 team up for Hurricane Helene disaster relief fundraiser
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- In response to the devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene, ABC11 is joining forces with the American Red Cross to assist disaster relief efforts.
The fundraising drive officially begins Thursday at 6 am. Financial donations are the quickest way to help those who need it most.
All contributions will allow the Red Cross to distribute meals, water and critical supplies to the hardest-hit communities -- like western North Carolina.
Ways your donation helps
$8 - Provides one comfort kit containing hygiene items and one blanket. Comfort kits contain the basic personal supplies someone would need in the aftermath of a disaster.
What's in a comfort kit? Deodorant, a toothbrush, toothpaste, facial tissues, wash cloth, shampoo, liquid soap, lotion, a comb, razors and shaving cream. Blankets are typically given to people in pairs to pad their cots in a shelter and cover themselves while sleeping.
$15- Provides one comfort kit and one snack to 3 people. The snacks are provided by Red Cross workers and distributed at shelters or through mobile feeding in communities via the Red Cross emergency response vehicles. Comfort kits, stored and ready for distribution nationwide, contain the basic personal supplies people need in the aftermath of a disaster. The kit contains deodorant, a toothbrush, toothpaste, facial tissues, wash cloth, shampoo, liquid soap, lotion, comb, razor and shaving cream.
$20 - Provides breakfast, lunch and dinner. During times of disaster, these prepared meals are served by Red Cross workers at shelters or Red Cross emergency response vehicles driving through neighborhoods. Every effort is taken to provide culturally appropriate food based on a community's needs.
$24 - Provides comfort supplies for two families of four. These supplies are stored and ready for distribution nationwide.
$50 - Provides a full day of food and shelter for one person. This service includes providing breakfast, lunch and dinner, the costs to mobilize and distribute a cot, two blankets and a comfort kit as well as the costs to support the Red Cross workers providing this service
$124- Provides travel, meals and shelter for one day and training for a shelter worker. The donation covers the cost of providing training and one day of deployment costs for one shelter team member. These shelter workers are fully trained to manage a shelter during a disaster, which includes training materials, instructor expenses and other miscellaneous expenses. When the Red Cross deploys a trained disaster worker to a disaster-affected community, the organization covers the costs of travel, meals and shelter so that the worker can focus their energy on caring for those affected.
$360 - Covers the cost of the Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) for one day. This specialized vehicle was designed to serve people affected by disasters and allows them to get into communities to deliver meals, snacks, relief supplies, information and comfort. This daily cost includes the cost of fuel and maintenance, as well as travel, meals and shelter for the 2 Red Cross disaster workers who operate the vehicle.
$842 - Provides food and shelter for a family of four for five days. This service includes providing breakfast, lunch and dinner, the costs to mobilize and distribute a cot, two blankets and a comfort kit as well as the costs of Red Cross workers to provide this support.
Of course, donating money is not the only way you can help. The Red Cross also needs blood donors and volunteers. For more information about how you can help, click here or call 1-800-733-2767.
SEE ALSO | 'Here for them': Triangle businesses continue mobilizing food and water for Western NC
Other ways you can help Hurricane Helene victims
Johnston County, with the sheriff's office and emergency service, is hosting a week-long donation drive. You can drop off donations Monday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the sheriff's office at 2875 U.S. Highway 70 Business East in Smithfield. They will continue to accept donations until Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Samaritan's Purse, based out of Boone, is looking for volunteers to help homeowners with the destruction in the city.
You can also donate with United Way and Salvation Army.
FEMA
North Carolina homeowners and renters in 25 counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who had uninsured damage or losses caused by Tropical Storm Helene may be eligible for FEMA disaster assistance. FEMA may be able to help with serious needs, displacement, temporary lodging, basic home repair costs, personal property loss or other disaster-caused needs.
There are several ways to apply: Online use the FEMA App. You can also call their toll-free line: 800-621-3362 from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET daily. The telephone line is open every day and help is available in most languages.
NC Disaster Relief Fund
The money will support both immediate and long-term recovery efforts in communities impacted by Hurricane Helene. The fund is managed by United Way of North Carolina. THe Duke Energy Foundation has already made a generous donation of $100,000.
Donations to the Governor's NC Disaster Relief Fund can be made here.
"We are deeply committed to helping all impacted North Carolina communities through this crisis," said Kendal Bowman, Duke Energy North Carolina state president. "Our hope is that these matching funds will inspire others to join us in supporting our neighbors during this devastating time."
United Way
United Way of North Carolina has launched a UW Helps NC Fund. The fund will support immediate and long-term recovery efforts in communities impacted by Hurricane Helene. Contributions to the UW Helps NC Fund can be made easily online. Donors can designate their contributions to a specific United Way or allow UWNC to allocate funds to the areas of greatest need.
All Hands and Hearts
All Hands and Hearts has already deployed teams to North Carolina and throughout Florida to evaluate and respond to support communities affected by the impacts of Hurricane Helene.
The organization launched a 12-month response to Hurricane Helene with a $2 million fundraising goal "to support the long-term recovery of these devastated communities."
Click here to learn more and support the All Hands and Hearts cause.
Americares
The team's on-the-ground response in Florida is helping with health needs and delivering medicines and relief supplies to the hardest-hit communities, while another Americares response team deployed to North Carolina to support relief efforts in the western part of the state near the Tennessee border.
Click here to learn more and donate.
Direct Relief
Direct Relief has provided assistance to more than 50 safety net healthcare providers who were in the path of Hurricane Helene and is taking donations to support the impacted areas with emergency medical supplies, hygiene kits, and transportation support.
Click here to learn more about how to help through Direct Relief.
Mutual Aid Disaster Relief
The grassroots effort is actively accepting donations in the form of critical supplies and financial support through the Action Network.
Funds raised online will go to ground response and recovery efforts to provide affected community members with supplies, medics and work crews.
World Central Kitchen
World Central Kitchen -- the nonprofit organization backed by celebrity chef Jose Andres, which helps get food to first responders and residents after natural disasters -- preemptively activated its network of chef resources in Tallahassee, Florida to help the hard-hit communities in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
In an update on X posted Monday afternoon, the organization's relief team was "on the ground and in the skies over Florida, identifying communities most in need of support" after the storm.
"Water, sand, and debris blanket our search areas, but we will continue to do what it takes to provide nourishing meals," the post stated.
