“We have food available and hugs will be warm, too.”
We feed approx 600 people a day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
And we are feeding them well, not disaster food.
Credit:Amy Davis
We are trying to keep home feeling like home.
General storesare the lifeblood of small towns, in good times and in bad.
In rural areas, they might be the only place to get a quart of milk for miles.
Credit: Robbie Caponetto
And when natural disasters strike, like Helene, these places become all the more critical.
If we dont have it, you dont need it!
is the saying at Freds General Mercantile in Beech Mountain, North Carolina.
Credit:Mast General Store/Facebook
The store has other locations around the South, including in badly-hit places like Henderson and Asheville.
“All of western NC and parts of Tennessee, everybody is hurting,” he said to WFMY.
“But everyone is putting everything aside just to confirm we take care of one another.”
Credit: Cheryl Zibisky
Now thecommunity hubis back to offering essential supplies and comfort including discounts on prepared foods.
General stores that werent directly impacted by Helene are also reaching out to help.
The stores in-house cafe serves food made with ingredients from local farmers, another way of supporting the community.
On itsFacebook page, employees have shared lists of donation sites in Southwestern Virginia and surrounding areas.
Come and tell us how you are doing.
And if you’re trying to reach anyone bring a flyer or a note.
With communication out we are setting up a central message board.
