More than two weeks after Hurricane Helene barreled through the southeastern U.S., leaving devastation in its wake, one Western North Carolina church has emerged as a local assistance hub for residents seeking help.

First Baptist Church of Asheville is providing free supplies, including food, water, toiletries, pet food, and other items for residents to pick up for themselves or to distribute. The church also provides hot showers, laundry services, and twice-daily hot meals. The hot meals are being provided by Mercy Chefs and served by church volunteers.

Though Florida took the blunt force of Helene’s winds, portions of Western North Carolina, including Asheville, have been decimated by the ensuing floods. There are over two hundred confirmed dead from the storm, with hundreds more still unaccounted for.

According to pastor Mack Dennis: “Helene has rocked Western North Carolina to its core, but it has been no match for the kindness we’ve been seeing in its aftermath. In the panicky disorientation of the first days after the storm, First Baptist Church of Asheville organized quickly to serve our community’s most critical needs.”

Dennis said the free market emerged from an initial offering of supplies. Since it began, it has been staffed by church and community volunteers and made possible by generous donors.

He added that he is “indescribably grateful to our congregation, our community, and people of goodwill across the country who’ve cared for us through donations, offerings and prayers.”

First Baptist Church of Asheville describes itself as “a caring, compassionate church which, like Jesus, accepts everyone, condemns no one, and is committed to serving our neighbors, community, and world.”

For those in the area seeking more information, please contact First Baptist Church of Asheville at (828) 252-4781 or visit www.fbca.net. There, you can find daily updates on shower and laundry service opening times and availability. You can also follow FBC Asheville on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/firstbaptistavl) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/fbcasheville/).