Support Resilient Wake Staff After Hurricane Helene

Help our Staff at Wake Foot Sanctuary After Hurricane Helene

11/13/24 Update:

Thank you to everyone who has donated in support of our Wake Asheville employees! It's truly humbling to feel the support ! We have been able to onboard several of our employees back to work and are feeling the gratitude for being able to provide relaxation, massage, and foot soaks in our great city again. We are also continuing to offer discounts to first responders in the area, have initiated a nominate a local hero portal on our website to donate free spa services to those in our community helping out. Additionally, we are donating proceeds from sales at our online portal to Hurricane Relief efforts. Our staff continues to come together in ways that we believe are truly making our area better, offering shelter and housing opportunities to other friends in need, donating their time, and continuing to hold space in comfort as a team so that we can be fueled to do the service work we love.

We have not been able to bring back all of our team members though due to the lack of demand in our area. We are working hard to build business as quickly as possible to get our team back, but in the meantime, any additional support you can provide will mean the world as we head into this holiday time. Even $1 from each of our guests would help us more than meet our $10,000 goal and 100% of the donation will be going directly to them (they will not be taxed on this either).

Initial Post:

My name is Melissa Long and I live in Asheville, NC in Buncombe County. My family and I have a beautiful business in the heart of downtown Asheville called Wake Foot Sanctuary. For more than 11 years we have served the beautiful city of Asheville with foot soaks, massage, and care to each of our treasured guests. We are writing this Go Fund me to benefit our beautiful staff who are so amazing. They pour their hearts into every aspect of service each day at Wake, caring and providing respite and relaxation for every person that walks through our doors. They work so hard with their hearts, minds, and bodies to give comfort, calm, and bliss to each guest. Even as I write this, it is hard to think of each of them and where they at in these moments. They are mothers, daughters, sons, and friends to so many in the community.

Some of our staff sustained major damage to their homes and vehicles and we are still assessing daily where things are at. Many of them do not have power, some are also without water, and many are currently displaced. Despite this, many of them are still out in the communities helping each other and others with supplies and needs wherever they can.

It is really difficult to ask for help, but today- it is important that we do so for our team. These amazing people make Wake Foot Sanctuary welcoming and warm every day.

There is no working water and in the city, we are without other essential communication utilities. Recent reports from city officials are relaying weeks of work to restore this for us to get operational and back open at Wake Foot Sanctuary. As a result, our teams will be unable to work in addition to the realities of the current losses they are facing and are dealing with.

If you would like to donate, even a small amount, it would mean the world to us. Every contribution will help our team to recover, rebuild and continue to the work they are so passionate about in serving their community. Whatever funds we generate will go directly to our staff to provide aid for their needs as we remain closed.

Thank you for considering helping our staff during this unprecedented time. We all thank you for your generosity and kindness.

In service,

Melissa Long