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Christie Atkins has seen a lot of storms, but she’s never seen anything like the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The Farmville resident went out to assess the electrical grids as the storm was still raging, driving right into the heart of Helene in North Carolina’s western mountains, but she helped as much as she could while she was there.

“I knew that I wanted to do more, and I just kept thinking: ‘what can I do? What can I do?’”. The answer was the Christmas Angel drive, organized by Atkins and members of the New Life Church. There were three drop off locations for goods, and earlier this month, cars supplied by Haley Auto Mall were used to drive the gifted items to churches and shelters in North Carolina, where they will be distributed to families in need.

Haley’s Auto Mall was packed nearly floor to ceiling with goods donated for families just in time for Christmas. There’s the things the Christmas Angels flyers asked for – toys, clothes, buckets, cleaning supplies, coats, and blankets – but there’s also some unexpected gems. 

“There’s things that we don’t think of,” Atkins admitted. “Decorations. Somebody donated a generator, and somebody donated a heater with propane tanks.”

The turnout was slow at first, but it picked up. “I thought we might have a truck full of stuff,” Atkins said. She doesn’t know exactly how many cars it will take to transport everything to North Carolina, but… “I hope it’s a convoy.”

Farmville helps Western NC

With the amount that was donated, the convoy option might be necessary. While many of the donations came from individuals, families, and churches, some came from local businesses. The Farmer’s Daughter, Pike Engineering, and Haley Auto Mall all provided in some way, with Pike providing dog food, water, and cleaning supplies, and Haley Auto Mall providing the transportation necessary to get everything to the areas in need.

Witnessing the aftermath of the storm firsthand heavily influenced Atkins’ desire to help. “They had gotten so much rain the trees looked like toothpicks,” Atkins said. “Trucks were covered in mud three feet deep, and the ball fields covered… We were in the same parking lots as the rescue teams, and they were in and out all day. So, yeah, that was a hard one for me.”

Winter weather arrives in mountains

And the supplies are needed. The problem right now for some western North Carolina communities, is that December in the mountains means snow and lower temperatures. Some vehicles can’t make the trip, as their two-wheel drive just doesn’t function. That’s slowed down some of the volunteer groups, as they can’t make it back into smaller, more isolated communities. That’s what made the efforts of local residents so important, as these supplies will be both welcomed and immediately put to use. 

With donations coming from Farmville to all the way from Dinwiddie, the project’s reach has been further than anyone on the team could have anticipated. But Atkins emphasized that it was more than just the Christmas spirit encouraging people to help: “It’s not a tis the season – it’s neighbors helping neighbors. We prayed, and God delivered.”