Hurricane impacts and flooding have devastated communities in our mountain home. We have rushed to provide flood relief, supplies, and support in accessing resources from Canton to Wilmington to Asheville, we have been there for those who have lost everything. In 2018, we responded to a 7 day ICE raid, by getting food and know your rights information out to over 1,000 families providing care and resources in a scary time. This work was the precursor to our response to a global crises that would impact every community in the world: the Covid-19 pandemic. During the Covid crisis, we were called in by Buncombe County Emergency Management prior to the shutdown of our County to support the community in this difficult time. Throughout the pandemic, we mobilized community health information and PPE in 10 counties in Western North Carolina. Our culturally relevant Covid information was used in 3 states including NC, SC, and TN. Our calls to action and advocacy were heeded by institutions and brought access to shelter for hundreds, provided relief from evictions and water cut offs, and provided public restrooms and handwashing stations. We educated community members about how to stay healthy and were trailblazers in vaccine equity conducting vaccination clinics in restaurants for essential workers, public parks, under bridges and at campsites, in mobile home communities, and at the public transit center.
We also show up for the daily cries occurring in our community. Poverty creates many crises in the daily lives of people whether it is a hospital bill that is larger than your annual salary or the ongoing needs for good sleep when your families are sleeping on the floor. We have delivered hundreds of mattresses to children. We shared to date hundreds of thousands of diapers to families in communities across our mountain home. We have supported community members in access to jobs, housing, emergency supplies. We have supported families after fires or devastating illnesses. We continue to be poised for rapid response to crises that are unknown but can suddenly impact our community. Through experience and through responding to daily crises, we are prepared for what may come, always ready to show up with and for our community in times of need.
