Candler, North Carolina

Our plan was to drive hay down from Michigan.  But once we arrived and talked with people on the ground, we heard about the children who were freezing to death because of the dropping temperatures in the mountains.  We learned  about the premature births happening and the shortage of baby formula.  And so many other heartbreaking things.  So we said, “We’ve got an empty trailer now. Can we load up supplies and deliver them?” And that’s what we did - formula, footie pjs, tents, gas cans, etc.  
As we got closer to Candler, you could see the dirt marks on buildings where the floodwaters had risen to.  Trees down, buildings damaged. Some of the exits off the highway were closed.    We made our delivery to Preparedness Consulting Services’s distribution hub.  They were set up in a field that had previously been under water.  These were people who had been affected by the hurricane personally, but were determined to help their neighbors however they could.  I left feeling like what we brought was such a small drop in the bucket, but knowing all the drops together are what is going to lift up Appalachia.