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.

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

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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.