On Sept 27, 2024, Hurricane Helene slammed into Western North Carolina. The effects of the storm were catastrophic across the whole region. There was a particularly hard-hit area in the community of Fairview—Garren Creek Rd. A still-unknown number of lives were lost, homes were lost, the feeling of safety and security in our nestled mountain region was lost.

Nevertheless, neighbors who never met came together to help each other with food, heat, generators, and hugs, and to begin the long clean-up process.

After the initial crisis, the founders of the Garren Creek Foundation realized there was a deep-seated need in the area for a sense of community, belonging, and a need to be together. Connection is at the heart of healing.