Support World Central Kitchen's Hurricane Relief

Hello Families,

I hope this letter finds you well and I thank you in advance for your time in reading it in its entirety.

I have been at a complete loss, as I’m sure many people have, when it comes to even beginning to fathom the destruction left behind by Hurricane Helene. This area was prepared to see the remnants of Helene in the form of rain and wind but was in no way prepared to brace for the severe weather that decimated entire towns. When I view the videos and photos of the destroyed landscape, the distraught families and the helpless animals, my heart absolutely breaks. Having traveled recently to Smoky Mountain National Park and fallen in love with the breathtaking landscapes along the way, it is absolutely devastating to view the damage depicted in media posted by citizens, first responders and news reporters. There are mountain roads and highways completely washed out by rain and raging flood waters from dams that faulted under the pressure, neighborhoods and communities entirely leveled by mudslides and numerous small mountain communities completely cut off and stranded from the rest of the surrounding areas. These communities are comprised of some of the most helpful, welcoming, and kind hearted people I have ever met while traveling to new areas and the pain they are going through, both as a community and as individuals, is incomprehensible. I cannot help but think how helpless, vulnerable and just exhausted these people are yet they are not dwelling on the negative. Instead, they are helping their neighbors with whatever means they can and they are coming together as a community, giving each other the support and strength to rise above the destruction. They can only do so much, though, with the limited tools and resources that they have left, especially in the most remote areas.

Words cannot express how grateful I am that we live in a country where there are companies and groups of individuals available to those affected by natural disasters like this most recent hurricane. There are countless well-known organizations like Red Cross and FEMA, along with others, that are assisting these communities with basic necessities, reunification with family members and caring for the sick and injured. I personally know an emergency medicine doctor who is part of one of the local teams that was deployed to Western North Carolina, just outside of Asheville. His family is SPV alumni and I am lucky to still be close with the family even though their children are now in elementary school. His team of doctors and medical professionals takes turns being “on call” and are then sent to the affected areas for up to two weeks at a time to relieve the hospital and medical staff members in the hardest hit communities. As they finish their deployment, another team is preparing to replace them at their makeshift medical center. While I am beyond proud to say that I know someone so selfless who has a personal effort with boots on the ground in the epicenter of the disaster relief, I realize that this is not a task attainable by most. When I asked the family how we could help from home, they mentioned a specific organization that was even there assisting residents before he and his medical team could get there. This company is called World Central Kitchen.

World Central Kitchen (WCK) has been delivering food, water and resources to those affected in the hardest hit areas of natural disasters around the world. They work tirelessly to provide individuals with basic human needs and are able to do so based on the generosity of others. At the end of the day, whether you are hospital staff, a local citizen who lost their home or first responders getting the stranded to safety, everyone needs food and water. This organization is making a world of difference closer to home in a location where individuals have close to nothing left. I would like to help them in this endeavor by raising funds to assist in their aid efforts in NC and surrounding states impacted by the latest storms as I am not able to be there in person and help directly. Unfortunately, with another storm on the way, there is an even greater need for these donations.

It is my hope that by reaching out to families on a a school level, we can work as a team to raise as many funds as possible to help these families and communities in need as well as the first responders coming to their rescue. It is not lost on me that money is tight in this economy and that not everyone has a lot to give but even if we were all able to donate even five dollars, imagine the difference it would make for those in need. I realize that while we may all still want for something, we are beyond fortunate to have the basic necessities and needs such as our infrastructure, families, shelter and food. This would also be a great learning opportunity for children as we can have the discussion about wants versus needs as well as helping those in need. Below is a link to the GoFundMe that I have set up with World Central Kitchen as the beneficiary. I will gladly provide any information needed to families that would like more information on this organization.

Thank you in advance for reading all of this information and for your consideration.

Amanda