What is the Wiregrass Reach Project?
This project was started by a group of local business owners and community leaders who wanted to help Hurricane Helene victims FAST. Day one after the storm a group set off with supplies for Georgia. As Georgia recovered, they focused efforts towards western North Carolina. Teaming up with local radio hosts Amie Pollard & Dave Gilligan on 105.3, together the group jumped in head-first to make connections in NC and meet needs. With the help of AAA Cooper and Summerford Trucking, freight costs were covered and drivers were provided. In the first 13 days of this project, communities from Dothan, Enterprise, Rehobeth, Headland, Ashford and Graceville filled two semi trailers with goods for Asheville distribution centers and supplies for Black Mountain rescue missions. The Project has raised over $14,000 to purchase additional supplies for those loads. We have sent over 120,000 pounds of goods to North Carolina and we aren’t ready to stop!
As media coverage of Helene destruction has slowed, our momentum has not. With winter upon our friends in North Carolina and power months away from being restored, space heaters are an urgent need for them. In our second leg of this project we will team up with local retailer ANB Hardware & Outdoors in Rehobeth to buy heaters and supplies at wholesale prices and ship directly from a Georgia warehouse to our contact in Asheville, NC for distribution.
Our goal is to ship 500 heaters and accessories to Asheville in 14 days!
What have we done so far…
Our first delivery left Wednesday, October 9th headed to Downtown Asheville, NC. Supplies went to The Venue where local business owners converted their salvaged wedding venue into a hub for TWO Senior Adult/Assisted Living facilities, a nearby apartment complex as well as lodging a chainsaw crew that is knee deep in daily rescue missions. They are locals serving locals and we were blessed to work with them.
You can see the link to the unloading here.
The second route is going to East Asheville where Slocomb native, Scott Raines has lived for years. Scott is helping coordinate a distribution center at his church, Covenant Community Church, where all the essentials and senior care items are in great need. Additionally, they have taken on Rescue and Retrieval efforts and are in desperate need of camping and rescue supplies. They are supplying and participating in 11 rescue camps in the Black Mountain and Banner Elk area.
You can see the link to loading the truck here…video of unloading coming soon!
Sponsoring Businesses
How To Give Monetarily
All cash donations prior to 10/20/2024 were used to purchase supplies sent to our TWO drop points in Asheville and Black Mountain, NC. Currently, all donations will be used to purchase heaters and accessories heading to East Asheville. We are working with local businesses to purchase at wholesale prices so that we can stretch every dollar further. For full transparency, a summary of donations and detail of all purchases will be posted HERE and updated as time permits.
Cash – ANB Hardware & Outdoors ONLY (Rehobeth, AL)
Checks – make payable to Wiregrass Reach Project
Debit/Credit Card/Google Pay/Cash App – CLICK HERE
Connect With Us
Follow us on Facebook and Instgram @WiregrassReachProject. As you share our story and issue your own challenges, please use the hashtag #wiregrassreachproject and #500HeaterChallenge to help us get the word out. We will update this site as time permits and our Trusted Partners will share updates on their socials.
Trusted Partners
This project would not be possible without our Media Partners B105.3 and WDHN that help keep this project in front of our community. Our transportation partnerships with AAA Cooper Transportation and Summerford Trucking have been crucial. From the local businesses committed to collecting and transporting your donations, to businesses who have agreed to sell goods at a discount, the countless folks who have given so freely, and our amazing volunteers…y’all are incredible! Together we all ARE the Wiregrass Reach Project! It’s all of us! We are blessed to be a part of this community and this project.
Please be sure to remember our Partners as you do business in the Wiregrass! These folks are sacrificing finances, staff, space, time and resources…it’s important that we keep locally involved businesses like these in the forefront of our minds and support them FIRST!
