If you’re looking for a place to get involved at to help victims of Helene, Kristina and her daughters have been volunteering at Silverados in Black Mountain, NC and tell you all about why this place is special – and needs help.
I never thought I would be taking my kids into a dive bar and outdoor music venue along the Swannanoa River in Black Mountain, North Carolina but there we were the Sunday before Thanksgiving, about eight weeks after Helene hit. And we went back again and again and again because something special was happening there at Silverados and we wanted to be a part of it.
If you’re looking for a place to volunteer with your kids or to help those who were terribly affected by Hurricane Helene in Western NC and do it at a place that you won’t want to leave, keep reading.
When the Storm Hit
When Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina, those beautiful mountains, towns, and people suffered immense heartache and destruction. The pictures and videos you have seen cannot convey what happened. Overturned cars along riverbanks, personal belongings and toys stuck in trees along roads, collapsed buildings, and piles and piles of debris cannot possibly reveal what those people saw, felt, and lost.
Jenalee Tipton got to work right after the storm hit and put whatever supplies she and her husband, Ian, had outside their house for family and friends who needed it. Ian was actually out of town when Helene hit and couldn’t reach Jenalee and the kids. He said it was terrifying. Once he got a hold of them and made sure they were safe, he went and got as many supplies as his truck could tow and managed to get home to Swannanoa through back roads that weren’t blocked.
All those supplies were gone quickly. Jenalee and Ian worked for Silverados, that music venue and dive bar on the Swannanoa River, during concert season and asked the owners, Cory and Christen Short, if they could start putting supplies out there since the need was so great.
Cory and Christen immediately said yes and Valley Strong Disaster Relief (VSDR) was born. With the help of Jason and Amy Ward, owners of Trinity Pharms Hemp co. with a massive social media following, they were able to quickly make Silverados a distribution and supply hub for the victims of Helene.
They have a pretty amazing setup at Silverados now – there are trailers that have camping supplies and tools with areas for pots and pans and new shoes. The stage, once the center of entertainment, now stores diapers, wipes, and hygiene items. They plan to keep the supply and distribution open as long as there is need. The nonprofit, VSDR, has been permanently established and will be helping the area to rebuild.
Something Special at Silverados
I’ve volunteered at a lot of places since I was a kid. My mom instilled in me that sense of doing all you can to help others and it’s something I think about and try to implement often as a parent myself. I have never volunteered at a place like Silverados. Ever. There is something extraordinarily special here and I’ll try to put it into words.
Maxine Alexander is one of the volunteers at Silverados. She knows every job and is just such a pleasure to be around. Her and her husband, Richie, drove out to Silverados in their RV from Chattanooga less than two weeks after Helene hit. They wanted to help in whatever ways they could and planned to stay for four days.
They never left except for a few days for holidays.
Richie is now the operations director for VSDR and when you come to volunteer, it’s Richie that you’ll hear behind the bullhorn gathering the volunteers, assigning jobs, solving problems, and making sure everything runs smoothly. And smoothly it runs. This place is a well-oiled machine in how they unload and store donations and get people through the pickup line to get what they need. They have anywhere from 150 cars to over 200 come through a day. It’s a lot but they get it done because they have great people who are doing amazing work.
Generosity and Selfless Giving: the biggest things that struck me
On our first day volunteering, we got there right before they opened the gates to allow people to come through for pickup and donations. We didn’t have a job right away but another volunteer who was just coming for a few days but who, like Maxine and Richie, decided to stay for months longer, put us to work. Despite the cold weather and the situation that many of the victims are facing, the atmosphere was hopeful and selfless.
One of the biggest things that struck me immediately, not only at Silverados, but here in Greenville with our projects with Mom to Mom: Helping WNC Families, is just how many people were willing to come together to help people who truly needed it. The hurricane hit right before the election, one of the most divisive times in my lifetime that I can remember. But you’d never know it helping out at any place that is serving these victims. It was something of immense beauty to be at a place where none of that mattered. All that mattered – and still matters – is helping these people who need it.
People have come from all over the country to volunteer here as well. I’ve met volunteers from Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Missouri, and many more states. There was a group of Amish one day I was there and another group of teens from Pennsylvania who spent a week helping at Silverados. I was floored at just how far people were willing to come to help others. What a testament to loving others.
The donations are an enormous part of Silverados as well. I cannot believe the donations that come in from all over the country. People literally drive hours and hours to bring things here – everything from paper products to generators to heaters and propane and Christmas toys. There are trailers full of donations that just show up. Amazon drivers are basically part of the team at this point due to how many times they are coming to unload boxes from people who shop off VSDR’s Amazon wish list. It blows my mind every time I’m there and see what comes in so thank you to those who are donating to victims of Helene. Your donations are crucial and I’m just amazed at your generosity.
One very sweet thing I saw was inside the bar. There is a wall of thank you notes to volunteers and encouragement to those who have been affected. The wall still holds a dart board from the bar days but now it has a beautiful note on it from a child in Ohio who sent toys to victims.
What Volunteers Do at Silverados
Silverados is open Wednesday-Friday from 10 am – 4 pm and Saturday and Sunday from 11 am – 5 pm. Volunteers get there about an hour or so beforehand and spend maybe 30 minutes after the gates close to clean up and make sure everything is covered if it rains.
There’s a morning meeting about half an hour before the gates open and that’s where you’ll get assigned a job. My daughters (ages 13 and 10) and I have been “pickers” most of the time, which we love doing. It’s fast-paced and your job is to pick the items that the people need from a list. There are all kinds of jobs from organizing donations to putting together paper products, cleaning supply boxes, and food boxes. There are people who search for a sleeping bag or blanket or specific tool for the pickers to grab and take back to the cars. There are people who are floaters and help out wherever is needed.
As a Picker, or Runner as they are sometimes called, we take our directions from a Pink Lady, the point person who talks to the people who come through to get supplies. These ladies, or men – they are designated by a pink vest – have teams of pickers and direct them all around the property to get whatever the people need. I’ve clocked upwards of 14,000 steps a day being a picker because it is a lot of running around and carrying things like water, blankets, cleaning supplies, shoes, and whatever else people need – all while being careful about cars driving through. People are cautious though and volunteers are directing traffic so it works well.
The other amazing thing at Silverados is that they feed all their volunteers inside at the dive bar, which has been nicely converted to a food service area. There’s breakfast in the morning and a hearty lunch with enough for dinner. I could not believe it when I first came. And the food is all cooked by really awesome volunteer cooks. I’m incredibly grateful for them and what they do for all of us running around outside helping to get donations to those who need it.
The Emotional Side of Volunteering
I didn’t know what to expect at Silverados but I knew that I’d probably hear heartbreaking stories. Having driven up to hard hit areas through our projects with Mom to Mom, I knew people were facing unimaginable hardships and losses. My family only lost power for a couple days when the storm hit. I could not relate to what these people were going through but I could listen and just show them that they were not forgotten.
If you’re a frequent reader of Kidding Around, you know how much we all love Western NC here. We write about those quaint mountain towns, hikes with amazing views, and all the best camping spots and cool places to play. Personally, Western NC captured my heart soon after I moved to Greenville more than ten years ago. I couldn’t get enough of trekking the hiking trails, traversing mountain ridges, sitting in awe of those majestic mountain views, shopping at adorable mountain towns, and getting to know business owners all throughout that area. When Helene hit, I felt like a piece of me had broken. When I went to Silverados, I met so many people who said nearly the exact same things I was feeling. Some people had vacationed in the area and fell in love with it and wanted to go back. Others were hikers like me who had to get to the mountains to do whatever they could to help. Others couldn’t sit back and do nothing when they had the ability and resources to come out to help.
I’ve also had the job of a Pink Lady and was able to talk to people coming through the line. One woman was obviously distraught when she got to me. I gently asked her for her list and what she needed and she could barely get the words out. She was asking for sleeping bags, a gas heater, and heavy blankets because she was living in a place without heat. Then she told me why she was so distraught: it was because of someone who she lost in the storm.
I’m not usually emotional and don’t cry but this lady and her story shot through to my heart and I had to work hard to pull it together. How this woman even got through her days is beyond me. We got her what she needed and I took a break to get lunch. That grief was a shock to me and I could feel it just wash over me. A kind, older volunteer who had been there awhile saw something was wrong and just hugged me while I cried for this woman.
I’ve thought about this woman and prayed for her often. Another woman was also in a state of utter turmoil when she came through the line. I asked if she needed a hug and she did so that’s what I could offer. I wish I could offer more – to rebuild a house or make a road or something bigger and more impactful – but this is what I can do so I’m going to do it.
Western NC is not OK
This is why I’m writing this story. I’ve thought a lot about whether to write this story or not. I didn’t go to Silverados with the intention to write anything but after seeing what is happening there and how much WNC still needs support, I decided these stories need to be told. I’ve spoken to many people in the Upstate who think WNC will just rebuild and everything will be fine – or is fine now – in a few months. That is not the case at all.
These people are still suffering even months after the hurricane hit. Western NC is not okay. They cannot be forgotten. VSDR and the community have come together and are doing remarkable work not only at Silverados but at people’s homes, too. They are sending out crews with chainsaws who are working on clearing out what needs to be cleared so people can rebuild.
Jason Ward is telling their stories through his own channels that are tied to VSDR and coordinating help to those who need it. Jenalee and Ian are running the nonprofit and jumping through all the administrative hoops while managing to still be there at Silverados doing the behind-the-scenes work to make the magic happen. The team effort is astounding but this isn’t anywhere near over in terms of helping victims.
Getting Involved with VSDR
Volunteers are needed every day that Silverados is open. Just show up. There’s a gravel parking lot next to Silverados at the traffic light right before you turn into the building. Volunteers need to park there and walk over to Silverados. Kids are welcome but personally, I’d suggest they be at least elementary/middle school age, if not a little older and able to follow directions, just because there is a lot going on.
Richie always thanks the volunteers for however long they are able to stay and there’s no pressure to stay all day or even come back. But I bet you’ll find it hard to leave. Since that Sunday before Thanksgiving, my daughters and I have been back almost weekly. We stayed up in Black Mountain one weekend to help instead of making the 90-minute drive back home.
I have not stayed at volunteer camps in the area but I do know there are a few, specifically in Spruce Pine, NC, about an hour from Silverados. You are welcome to contact VSDR through their Facebook page for info on possible places to stay if needed. They also post any changes to their operations hours on their Facebook page, which is important to look at before going.
If you’re unable to come and volunteer but still want to help, VSDR has an Amazon wish list that you can purchase needed items that will be delivered right to Silverados. I can attest that Amazon trucks are regular visitors there (thank you donors!). They also post regular needs to their Facebook page and take direct donations. Since they are a registered nonprofit, donations are tax deductible.
More volunteer opportunities: For other volunteer and donation opportunities, I’d recommend following Tracie Adams. She compiles lists of places that need volunteers and is in-the-know for everything disaster relief in the area. It was through one of her posts that I found Silverados. My daughters and I have also volunteered at Bald Creek Relief in Burnsville, which also really needs help as they are a supply and distribution center as well.
As a parent, let me say here that I am immensely proud of my daughters. They are hard workers and have done everything from gift wrapping for hours on end for a toy drive at Silverados to putting together supply boxes to running all over to fulfill those lists of needs. On one of our drives home from Silverados, my oldest daughter said to me, “that could have been us.” Yes, it could have been us had that storm moved just a bit west. It’s a sobering thought and one that certainly makes me grateful yet even more determined to do whatever I can to help and I know my daughters feel the same. The very first thing they said to me after we loaded in the car to go home that first day of volunteering was, “Mom, when are we coming back here?”.
Silverados
2898 U.S. 70, Black Mountain, NC
For other volunteer opportunities, see our story on places to volunteer near Greenville.
