As Western North Carolina marks the second anniversary of Hurricane Helene on Sept. 27, the Diocese of Charlotte continues to help rebuild lives across the region through Catholic Charities, parishes and iother ministries.
While economic uncertainty lingers and many still face food insecurity, glimmers of hope have returned as tourism begins to rebound and shuttered businesses reopen – returning jobs and opportunities.
The diocese’s Catholic Charities agency raised $13.7 million for relief efforts after the storm, thanks to donors around the world. The agency has spent $9.1 million over the past two years, initially trucking in critical food, water and funding emergency housing, then pivoting to repair and rebuild homes, offering utility assistance, and providing career and mental health counseling.
Catholic Charities has the remaining $4.6 million in relief funds slated for longer-term needs in its third year, and is planning for new approaches and partnerships that can enhance its disaster response in the future.
“People are still hurting and we will continue to accompany them in a broad variety of ways, either by providing direct assistance and services or by connecting them to organizations who can help meet their needs,” said Gerry Carter, Catholic Charities’ president and CEO.
“As with most major disasters,” he said, “we anticipated the initial recovery process would take at least three years – and for many it will continue. Our focus now is to keep working through our more complicated cases and to extend our resources to people whose needs have not yet been addressed.”
Since the storm that claimed 108 lives and caused more than $44 billion in damages, Catholic Charities and local parishes have been at the forefront of the Church’s response. Parishes stepped in with financial and emergency assistance, while the agency took on sweeping needs.
Catholic Charities has thus far served 2,832 households, helping with everything from getting children new eyeglasses and school supplies to repairing the roofs above their heads. As of July 2026, the agency helped repair, rebuild or replace 208 homes, and will take on at least 50 more this year.
“We said at the beginning that when the water recedes, we’ll still be there – and that’s exactly what we’re continuing to do,” Carter said. The agency’s disaster relief workers have provided assistance to individuals and families in 37 of the 39 impacted counties.
Individual stories and varied needs
The hard work continues as the agency does its best to respond to the specific needs of each family, said Jesse Boeckermann, Catholic Charities’ western regional director in Asheville.
“Some neighborhoods are still rebuilding, and in other places there’s food insecurity or people are struggling with the general cost of living,” Boeckermann said. “Our response is very family-specific, responding to whatever the household is going through.”
Jeff and Kathy Turner are among those who turned to Catholic Charities. Their home near Jefferson was badly damaged when the North Fork of the New River rose 26 feet. They received more than $10,000 to repair their foundation, buy new doors and windows, and address other household needs.
In Old Fort, Sandra received help with temporary rental assistance, home repairs, and mortgage payments. Mobility issues made her situation particularly critical. Catholic Charities also replaced her vehicle, which had been destroyed in the flood.
Other families’ needs were more complicated: In one case, Catholic Charities provided 10 months of comprehensive support to help a family of five with rent, utilities, furniture and vehicle repairs.
The agency also stepped in for businesses and people who received little or no assistance from FEMA.
One woman was denied FEMA assistance due to the age of the 20-year-old camper where she lived, so Catholic Charities bought her a new one. Another woman wanted to buy her FEMA trailer but had nowhere to put it – so Catholic Charities paid the moving costs and rent for a lot where she could make a fresh start.
Four celebrated community businesses – a Mexican restaurant in Black Mountain and an auto repair shop, barbecue restaurant and hair salon in Swannanoa – all were able to reopen with help from Catholic Charities. Each reopening served as a moment of inspiration for townspeople.
“We’re making sure people are still connected and receiving help through whatever phase they’re at in the whole recovery process,” Boeckermann said.
Catholic Charities is also helping with long-term recovery on the community level. Case workers are collaborating in “long-term recovery groups” in some of the hardest hit – and most difficult to access – areas, including Chimney Rock, Gerton and Bat Cave, Boeckermann said.
In areas such as Asheville, $250,000 went to revitalizing the economy in the River Arts District. That investment is paying off as tourism dollars begin to flow into the area. Asheville hosted the PGA Biltmore Championship in September, generating an estimated $10 million in economic impact. Across the region, the N.C. Commerce Department reported that tourism brought in $7.7 billion last year – ranging from a year-over-year increase of 14% in Cherokee County to a slight decline of less than 1% in Asheville.
Parishes help with recovery
Individual parishes and missions remain on the ground, working to help parishioners and communities with ongoing needs, from crucial supplies like food and baby items to funding for utility bills and home repairs.
Parishes that run food pantries have seen a significant uptick in need, as escalating prices for food, gas and many other goods have made things worse for Helene victims.
In Sylva, St. Mary Mother of God parish has been operating a food pantry two Saturdays a month. It provides non-perishable food, household items, hygiene products and baby items to anyone in need. But supply lines are stretched thin, said Kevin Field, who runs the pantry, so the parish is seeking donations of canned goods and funds so it can continue to be a source of help.
In the immediate wake of Helene, the diocese’s Sister Parish Program paired parishes that were not impacted by the storm with those in the mountains to help raise funds. Two years later, St. Mary Mother of God is still receiving help from its sister parish St. Thomas Aquinas in Charlotte, which holds quarterly collections.
At St. Francis of Assisi Church in Jefferson and its mission St. Frances of Rome in Sparta, some parishioners are still dealing with property repairs, but for the most part, recovery has been completed, said pastor Father Jacob Mlakar. Some parishioners are now turning their gratitude toward helping others in the community who are still struggling to recover from the storm.
“Most of our parishioners are doing well, and some of them are helping out by serving on long-term recovery groups in Ashe County, and other areas,” Father Mlakar said.
In Mars Hill. St. Andrew the Apostle Church ran a massive relief effort in the months after the storm – and still is responding to needs, said parish secretary Kelly Hansen.
The parish runs a food pantry that serves about 50 people a week, and volunteers prepare about 70 “weekend bags” with nonperishable foods for students at the nearby elementary school. Hansen said much of the parish’s assistance now goes to families struggling with high fuel and grocery prices, but St. Andrew still gets requests from people hit by Helene.
“Recently we paid a storage unit bill for somebody who was struggling – they had salvaged things from the storm stored there,” Hansen said. “We’re trying to remind people that we’re still here to help.”
— Christina Lee Knauss
