(Supplies are distributed to families in Western North Carolina. Photo provided)

Hurricane Helene slammed the Southeast at the end of September, and since then money and supplies have streamed in from across the country to assist those struggling to put their lives back in order.

Businesses and individuals have taken an active role in recovery efforts, and many from South Carolina companies have rolled up their sleeves to offer help in the wake of the storm, which claimed at least 230 lives, including more than 100 in North Carolina and 49 in South Carolina.

“I just keep reflecting on the fact that they are there living in this every single day,” said Jessica Munday, chief executive officer of Mount Pleasant marketing communications firm Trio Solutions Inc.

Munday’s parents live in western North Carolina, along with many of her friends. She wasted little time pitching in, making her first trip to the mountains a day after Helene roared through the region. She’s been back several times since then.

“The level of destruction is something that most people can’t wrap their heads around until they see it in person,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking, and it’s depressing.”

Helene came ashore on Sept. 26 in Florida and worked its way north, leaving a trail of death and destruction from the Gulf Coast through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

Hardest hit was western North Carolina, which saw entire towns all but washed away by hurricane-induced flooding. Helene could end up costing more than $50 billion, making it one of the most expensive natural disasters in U.S. history.

South Carolinians have been helping fill the coffers of nonprofits devoted to assisting those impacted, donating and delivering goods, and even helping on the ground.

Working with other Lowcountry businesses, Munday and other Trio employees contributed goods and funds, which she helped take to western North Carolina. They donated an array of needed items, including generators, diapers, pet food, and medical supplies. The group also served 500 meals to people in the area one weekend.

“I’ve made four trips up there at this point,” Munday said in late October. She’s taken supplies to the North Carolina towns of Arden, Asheville, Black Mountain, Hendersonville, Swannanoa, and Weaverville.

Trio is headquartered in the Harbor Entrepreneurial Center in Mount Pleasant and is one of dozens of companies that have pitched in. Other area entities that have contributed include Cloud Nine Nonprofit Advisors, Entrepreneurs’ Organization Charleston, Firefly Distillery, and Kickin’ Chicken, along with Harbor Entrepreneurial Center.

“Together, the Lowcountry has really stepped up, and I'm hopeful the support will continue for as long as it takes,” Munday said.

Rachel Latson, digital marketing director for the Joye Law Firm, also has family in the area, in Avery County, northeast of Asheville. She made her first trip to the North Carolina mountains a week after the hurricane.

“Off the beaten path, it’s really bad up there,” she said. “It’s almost dystopian to come to a town and see one street that is fine and the next street over is completely gone.”

The firm, which has five South Carolina locations, including Columbia, Myrtle Beach, and North Charleston, quickly began gathering funds and goods from employees, which Latson helped deliver to western North Carolina.

“We rented a U-Haul to take supplies and food to Minneapolis, N.C., in Avery County,” she said. “I was there within a week of the hurricane, and saw houses ripped from their foundations, roads washed away, and all kinds of devastation.

“I volunteered after Hurricane Katrina and saw the damage that it did in and around New Orleans, but this was much worse. It was shocking to see,” Latson added.

Some of the scores of companies which are either headquartered in South Carolina or serving the state and have lent a hand to those in need are included below.

First Citizens Bank, headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, and with a substantial network in South Carolina, committed $3.5 million in donations and financial support to Helene revitalization efforts. 

Bank of America pledged $1 million to support those affected by the storm.

The Truist Foundation, part of Truist Financial Corp., contributed $1 million to support relief and recovery efforts in communities most impacted by Helene. 

TD Bank announced $500,000 in contributions to support local relief efforts in parts of Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The bank also announced it would match dollar-for-dollar donations by employees to select local nonprofits in the three states, up to $50,000 total. 

Wells Fargo pledged more than $1 million to address urgent community needs, including shelter, supplies, and ongoing support for residents affected by the storm. 

Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) said it would donate $400,000 to support individuals impacted by Helene and Hurricane Milton, which struck in early October. 

PNC Bank, through the PNC Foundation, donated $500,000 to the American Red Cross to help meet immediate needs for food, shelter, and other relief services in communities affected by the storm, including western North Carolina.

Synovus announced a donation of $125,000 to the American Red Cross.

Safe Federal Credit Union collected funds at its locations to support relief efforts by the Salvation Army of South Carolina and United Way of South Carolina. 

Truliant Federal Credit Union and the Truliant Foundation committed more than $50,000 to food and relief resources, and the credit union donated 16,000 bottles of water to Miracle Hill Ministries in the Upstate. 

Several minor league baseball teams which call the Palmetto State home hosted relief drives to aid hurricane victims in both the Asheville and Augusta, Georgia, areas.

The Columbia Fireflies, Charleston RiverDogs, Greenville Drive, and Myrtle Beach Pelicans took in donations and held relief drives across the state to garner money for assistance. 

The Hub City Spartanburgers, an affiliate of the Texas Rangers which will begin play in the Upstate next year, had orders for at least 800 Hurricane Helene Relief shirts as of Oct. 23 and has raised more than $9,000. Proceeds from the shirts will go to the United Way of the Piedmont, the Red Cross, and Samaritan’s Purse for relief in South Carolina and western North Carolina.

“So many in our community and on our staff have reached out wanting to know how they could help,” Columbia Fireflies President Brad Shank said. “Thankfully we were able to partner with the other teams in South Carolina to provide support for some of the hardest hit areas. ”

Grand Strand

Many members of the Grand Strand business community joined forces to send assistance to western North Carolina.

Crooked Hammock Brewery, Grand Strand Brewing Co., New South Brewing, Southern Crown Partners, Southern Hops Murrells Inlet, and Tidal Creek Brewhouse all gathered supplies to send to those impacted by Helene.

Supplies were then transported to the Hurricane Helene Airlift Relief in Statesville, North Carolina, where they were flown directly to those in need.

Southern Hops Brewing Co. and Southern Hops Murrells Inlet collaborated with Riverbend Malt House in Asheville on a lager, called the Weight of Sound, with a portion of the proceeds from each pint sold in-house going to the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild to help with the Helene recovery.

Also in the Grand Strand, Murrells Inlet Fishing Charters, Perry’s Bait & Tackle, and Murrells Inlet Outpost took donations of food, baby formula, batteries, flashlights, animal food, personal hygiene items, and water to help flood victims.

Lowcountry

In Charleston, Holy City Brewing, a craft beer brewery and tasting room, changed gears and canned 250 cases of drinking water and then helped get the water to those in need.

The brewery will be canning and shipping more water, General Manager Taylor Hiel said.

“We recognize that there’s always help that jumps right in after a disaster, but people need help long afterward, and we’re working on a plan that will allow us to continue assisting many months down the road,” he said. 

Acme Lowcountry Kitchen of Mount Pleasant matched donations made through a social media fundraiser, while Charleston coffee shop Blum packed box trucks with essentials gathered from the community and sent them to areas in need, the Post and Courier reported. 

Fred Anderson Toyota Charleston took water and non-perishable items to those in need in western North Carolina communities.

Pet Helpers of Charleston organized supply drives at two Lowcountry locations to accept essential supplies for cats and dogs, including collars, leashes, harnesses, canned food, dry food, cat litter, and more. Supplies were taken to Aiken County.

Upstate

In the Upstate, an array of companies have stepped up.

D.J. Scott, president and owner of Upstate Pool Management Group in Simpsonville, said his company took three trailers to the North Carolina mountains on the first Saturday after the storm, bringing water, diapers, wipes, and other needed nonperishables. 

Immediately following the storm, Scott and others from his Poinsett neighborhood started by cutting up fallen trees in and around their area. He soon became aware of the vast damage that had occurred in western North Carolina. After taking goods to the region, he said the path to recovery won’t be easy.

“They’ve got a long road ahead of them to get their lives back in order,” Scott said. “Cleanup is going to take a long, long time.”

Papi’s Tacos of Greenville, working with Tito’s Vodka and Thomas Creek Brewery, allocated proceeds from special events to fund relief initiatives both in the Upstate and in North Carolina.

Pangaea Brewing Co., Larkins, Augusta Twenty, Modal Hostel & Coffee Shop, West End Social, and Smiley's on the Roxx were among Upstate businesses that contributed in some way, the Greenville News reported. Some donated gift cards to use for a drawing while others gave needed supplies.

The Greenville Police Department partnered with Bon Secours Wellness Arena to “provide essential supplies to pets in need” by collecting donations for the Greenville Humane Society and Greenville County Animal Care. Arena staff and volunteers also made thousands of lunches for first responders and others. 

Champion Coach of Greenville was one of several Southeastern motorcoach companies that helped deliver critical supplies to hard-hit areas. Champion partnered with local churches to collect and transport bottled water to different communities.

Champion donated four buses to move 2,000 cases of water from churches in Spartanburg, Greenville, Powdersville, and Anderson to a distribution center in Flat Rock, North Carolina, according to Bus & Motorcade News.

Spartanburg-headquartered Denny’s sent its mobile relief diner to help feed folks in Asheville, with free meals to those affected by the storm, first responders, and others helping the community recover.

Planet Fitness locations in Greenville and Spartanburg offered both free showers and free use of their equipment during the first two weeks of October.

Academy Sports + Outdoors in Greenville gave out free bottled water to those affected. 

Midlands

In the Midlands, JC's Outdoors in Gilbert, an outdoor store specializing in hunting and fishing equipment, gave those affected free meals, hot showers, and a place to wash clothes, WLTX reported.

More than 300 people used the company’s showers in the first four days after the storm, and many took the opportunity to use laundry machines at the Lexington County location.

In Prosperity, Roma’s House of Pizza provided free meals to more than 600 individuals in the days after the storm.

The South Carolina State Fair said it would donate $200,000 for Helene relief to impacted areas of the state.

Major corporations with operations or customers across South Carolina contributed millions of dollars to support relief efforts.

Communications company Spectrum earmarked $1 million, including $250,000 in cash contributions, for relief. An additional $100,000 will go to local organizations in storm-ravaged areas, including impacted communities in and around Asheville and Spartanburg. 

Spectrum is also offering $750,000 in public service announcements that will air at no cost to assist aid organizations and other community partners with fundraising and awareness for disaster relief efforts.

Walmart, Sam’s Club, and the Walmart Foundation committed $10 million to support time-sensitive relief efforts across impacted communities in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Lowe's donated $2 million to support Helene relief efforts. Lowe's donations will assist both nonprofit partners and first responders, helping these organizations respond to critical needs like emergency shelter, food, and water while also supporting long-term rebuilding and recovery.

Duke Energy Foundation announced a $1 million commitment to nonprofits providing vital assistance to affected communities across the Southeast.

“Our communities require time and resources to recover and rebuild from Hurricane Helene,” said Duke Energy Foundation President Amy Strecker. “We are in constant conversation with nonprofit partners navigating the impacts on their own operations to bring relief, comfort and stability to those most affected by the storm.”

Insurer USAA and its members donated nearly $3 million to assist in the recovery from Helene and Milton.

Target donated $3 million to aid in response and recovery efforts.

American Express and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation announced a hurricane recovery program with $5 million in grants and corporate giving. The program will offer a $5,000 grant to 1,000 impacted small businesses to support recovery of small businesses across states impacted by Helene, including both North Carolina and South Carolina. 

Comcast NBCUniversal set aside $500,000 in cash and $500,000 in advertising time for public service announcements in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

Delta Air Lines contributed $500,000 to the American Red Cross.  

Honda gave $500,000 in disaster relief funds to the American Red Cross to support those impacted.

AT&T contributed $300,000 to assist Helene-ravaged communities.

Food Lion gave $1.5 million to support impacted communities.

Dominion Energy contributed $300,000 to the One SC Fund, which is given to local nonprofits providing disaster relief and recovery in South Carolina. In all, the One SC Fund has raised more than $5 million for Helene relief.

Verizon distributed $325,000 in grants to local organizations in communities hit by Helene.

The Home Depot Foundation committed up to $2 million to assist storm victims and their communities. 

South Carolinians who have had the opportunity to visit the worst-hit areas say it will take a long time for residents’ lives to begin to return to any sort of normalcy.

“If I could get one message out to the public, it would be please don’t move on. It is definitely the worst natural disaster to ever hit North Carolina,” said Munday of Trio Solutions. 

“I remember seeing the aftermath of Hurricane Hugo and, as bad as that was, this is like Hugo times 10,” she added.