Hurricane Helene Quilts

The Hurricane Helene Quilt Project has ended as of ended June 27, 2025. Thank you to everyone who contributed.

We served the hard hit areas of primarily Henderson county including Chimney Rock, Bat Cave and Gerton, placing almost 200 quilts into the hands of people in need. Quilts went into the hands of agencies, churches and individuals willing to deliver to people who will be using them. I also delivered to Lake Lure in Rutherford County. Other guilds/shops/agencies in the area served Swannanoa, Black Mountain and parts north. I concentrated on those smaller communities not served by anyone else. After those areas were served, the first responders in Henderson county were given quilts to thank them for their work during the crisis. Fire houses in Hendersonville and Mountain Home, as well as Lake Lure and Bat Cave were served.

History of the project with links to past posts

The devastation of Hurricane Helene to our area was immense. Over the following months, debris was removed, electricity and water was restored, and people of the mountains tried to return to their normal lives. But some areas will take years to get back. Hard hit Gerton, Bat Cave and Chimney Rock saw greater destruction in Henderson county than other parts of the county. As other organizations saw to Swannanoa, Old Fort and areas north and east of Asheville, these small communities were forgotten. As they are close to my home, and I have the means to help, I began collecting quilts for families in those communities who lost everything.

Some lost everything, with businesses and homes swept away by a raging river. As of mid-January, there are still checkpoints to get past if you need to get into these towns. Some areas are still not accessible due to private bridges being destroyed. If you’d like to offer support to those families with a quilt, I will continue to take them through 2025. See my first delivery to Chimney Rock, with photos of the destruction on this post – click Quilts for Chimney Rock and Bat Cave

By the end of the day, most of these quilts had been claimed by residents and first responders.

Another delivery to Steps to Hope, for hurricane victims who also are having to deal with domestic violence. Sadly, this only got worse as people lost their income and were forced to stay home in the weeks following the disaster. Abusers become more violent when stressed.

I delivered quilts to Reverend Don Freeman at Bearwallow Church in Gerton, giving him enough for about half of his parishioners to have one. I planned a second delivery in January 2025 so every person will have one. With bitter cold on the way, they were greatly appreciated.

Quilts were placed on the pews. Read more of this story on my post Making A Difference with Quilts at Christmas.

Happy faces of people who now know they have not been forgotten.

A second delivery to Sara of the Episcopal Church in Bat Cave was welcomed, as we tried to get every person in that small parish a comfort quilt.

There was still such suffering here, even months later. With bitter cold approaching, my heart ached for those still displaced. Our car clubs did outings to restaurants and shops in those affected areas to help those business owners recover as they slowly opened again. If you live in the area, please patronize the shops and restaurants in Lake Lure as they are open again, although the gorgeous flower bridge is gone and will not be replaced. Get there from Hwy 74, exit on Hwy 180 and go north, then turn left on Hwy 9.