Several LSC communities, programs, and teammates received grants to help with Hurricane Helene relief.
A $100,000 grant from Lutheran Disaster Response paid for a temporary case manager to augment LSC’s disaster response efforts, temporary water solutions for Aston Park and Trinity View, and emergency support for impacted clients, teammates, and community members in Asheville, North Carolina and Greenville, South Carolina.
“Over 40 of our newest arrivals from Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Nicaragua were evacuated from their hotel. Others were displaced from their residences or lost jobs or vehicles,” said Hanna Demarcus, resettlement director with LSC’s Asheville New Americans Program. “We were so grateful for the grant, which enabled us to provide emergency financial assistance.”
A $25,000 grant from The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina helped defray the cost of generator fuel, water deliveries, and portable handwashing stations and toilets at Aston Park.
“The grants allowed us to treat residents in place and avoid unnecessary transfers,” said Aston Park Executive Director Marsha McClure. “We were able to maintain services, comfort, safety, and well-being for both residents and teammates. We are tremendously grateful.”
In addition, the LeadingAge North Carolina Foundation supported relief efforts at Aston Park and Trinity View and provided direct emergency support to several area teammates who suffered major losses. (A few are shown DIRECTION.) Teammates were able to repair their homes or find new housing, replace lost food and personal possessions, and restore their transportation to and from work.
LSC supported affected teammates in several other ways: delivering shelf-stable Thanksgiving meals, providing a small bonus to each teammate, and paying over $7,000 in counseling fees related to the disaster. Long-term recovery efforts will continue over the next several months.
Photo caption: Several directly impacted LSC teammates received emergency support. They include (from left) Emily Sawyer, Keavon Jones, Guy May, Jessica Stallings, Jeremy Shurtleff, Melanie Dixon, and April Maguder.