How to help post-Hurricane Helene

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, ABC News’ “Good Morning America” is providing five days of special coverage titled “Southeast Strong: Help After Helene” (#SoutheastStrongABC), spotlighting communities across the Southeast impacted by Hurricane Helene and the urgent efforts to help them recover.
Hurricane Helene hit Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 storm with catastrophic sustained winds up to 140 mph and traveled north, leaving widespread destruction across the Southeast.
As Americans in storm-battered states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia begin to climb out of the damage from the storm that killed at least 215 people with hundreds more unaccounted for, charity organizations have started to rally support efforts. See below for a full list of ways to donate.
Zeb Smathers, the mayor of Canton, North Carolina, which was hit hard by the storm, told “Good Morning America” the situation was “apocalyptic, not just for Canton, but the entire region.” He added that residents have been unable to contact loved ones due to a total cell phone “blackout” and urged those at risk from further flooding to evacuate.
These organizations are directly serving communities impacted by Hurricane Helene:

Below is more about each organization and links for more information.
BeLoved Asheville
The nonprofit BeLoved Asheville is now dedicating all of their resources to Hurricane Helene relief efforts and distributing food and clothing items, as well as directing those in need to shelters.
Click here to learn more.
Caring for Others
An organization dedicated to fighting poverty, Caring for Others is accepting donations to provide relief funds and supplies for those impacted by Hurricane Helene.
Click here to learn more.
Loving Food
Asheville-based Loving Food Resouces is dedicated to providing food, health, and personal care items to people in the region who are living with HIV and AIDS or are in hospice care.
Click here to learn more.
Manna Food Bank
The mission of MANNA FoodBank, based in Asheville, is to end food insecurity in the western North Carolina region. Following Hurricane Helene, MANNA FoodBank is collecting financial donations and donations of shelf-stable food in packages that don’t require a can opener, bottled water, baby formula, toddler formula, and diapers.
Click here to learn more.
Ground Force Humanitarian Aid
The nonprofit Ground Force Humanitarian Aid trains volunteers to respond to natural disasters and focuses particularly on helping older adults and individuals with disabilities.
Click here to learn more.
Global Empowerment Mission
Following Hurricane Helene, Global Empowerment Mission, a nonprofit focused on solving humanitarian challenges, is distributing aid, including food, water, hygiene supplies, cleaning materials, tarps, and pet supplies in Asheville, North Carolina and Perry, Florida.
Click here to learn more.
Operation Airdrop
Operation Airdrop sends volunteer pilots and provides aircraft after natural disasters to deliver aid supplies. The nonprofit is also assisting in the Hurricane Helene aftermath.
Click here to learn more.
Red Cross
Help people affected by Hurricane Helene. Your donation enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to, and help people recover from this disaster.
Click here to donate.
All Hands and Hearts
All Hands and Hearts has already deployed teams to North Carolina and throughout Florida to evaluate and respond to support communities affected by the impacts of Hurricane Helene. The organization launched a 12-month response to Hurricane Helene with a $2 million fundraising goal “to support the long-term recovery of these devastated communities.”
Click here to learn more and support the All Hands and Hearts cause.
Americares
The team’s on-the-ground response in Florida is helping with health needs and delivering medicines and relief supplies to the hardest-hit communities, while another Americares response team deployed to North Carolina to support relief efforts in the western part of the state near the Tennessee border.
Click here to learn more and donate.
Direct Relief
Direct Relief has provided assistance to more than 50 safety net healthcare providers who were in the path of Hurricane Helene and is taking donations to support the impacted areas with emergency medical supplies, hygiene kits, and transportation support.
Click here to learn more about how to help through Direct Relief.
Mutual Aid Disaster Relief
The grassroots effort is actively accepting donations in the form of critical supplies and financial support through the Action Network. Funds raised online will go to ground response and recovery efforts to provide affected community members with supplies, medics and work crews.
Click here to learn more.
Project Dynamo
The nonprofit Project Dynamo is assisting in search-and-rescue and evacuation efforts in areas impacted by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.
Click here to learn more.
World Central Kitchen
World Central Kitchen — the nonprofit organization backed by celebrity chef Jose Andres and which helps get food to first responders and residents after natural disasters — preemptively activated its network of chef resources in Tallahassee, Florida to help hard-hit communities in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
Click here to read more about the support efforts and information for donations.