Ways to Support our Continued Work - Recovery & Resilience
Donations by Check
Direct Donations Through Square
Direct Donations Through Square
Mail a check directly to Rising Light Relief at 120 Gage Branch Rd., Bakersville, NC 28705.
Giving this way ensures every dollar of your donation goes straight to serving our community.
Direct Donations Through Square
Direct Donations Through Square
Direct Donations Through Square
Make a quick and secure online gift through Square.
Only the credit card processing fee is deducted from donations processed through Square.
Donations through PayPal
Shop our Amazon Wishlists
Shop our Amazon Wishlists
Make a quick and secure online gift through PayPal.
A simple way to support our work, please note that about 10% is kept as processing fees.
Shop our Amazon Wishlists
Shop our Amazon Wishlists
Shop our Amazon Wishlists
Purchase items from our Amazon wish lists to make an immediate impact.
The Essentials List stocks our pantry with food and seasonal supplies, while the Tool Library List equips neighbors with tools to rebuild and reclaim their homes and land.
Our Mission
Rising Light Relief is a nonprofit organization based in Western North Carolina, focused on food security, community connection, and resilience in disaster recovery. Founded in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, we stepped in to serve the most vulnerable—elders, disabled individuals, and families in crisis—by delivering hot meals, emergency supplies, temporary heating, direct support, shelter, and rebuilding assistance.
What began as immediate relief has grown into a long-term commitment to rural resilience. Our work remains grounded in consistent, people-centered service—offering not just food, but presence, conversation, and dignity. We believe rebuilding a stronger and more connected community starts with showing up for those most at risk- and continues by adapting to meet evolving needs with care and trust.
Nourishing Our Neighbors
Since Hurricane Helene
Rising Light Relief has provided over 15,000 hot meals — each one hand-packed and delivered to homes across Mitchell, Yancey, and Avery counties.
At Our Peak
We served 500–550 meals per week. In the first months, we focused on elderly and disabled residents — those most vulnerable in the storm’s aftermath — then expanded to anyone facing food insecurity or isolation.
Partnerships That Made It Possible
We partnered directly with international relief organizations, including World Central Kitchen and Mercy Chefs.
More Than Meals
Deliveries often included hygiene products, medical supplies, and seasonal essentials, including heaters and fuel — doubling as welfare checks that provided reassurance alongside nutrition.
Essential Supplies & Seasonal Support
The Essentials, Supplied with Dignity
Through April of 2025, we ran a supply hub from the backyard of Rising Light Relief’s founder. It served an average of 60 households a day — over 700 total — with food, clothing, cleaning supplies, and home essentials. Whether under tents or later in solid buildings, we adapted while keeping the space organized and welcoming so neighbors could access essentials with dignity.
Conversations at the hub uncovered deeper needs, leading to volunteer help for small projects, advocacy for larger rebuilds, and hosting Samaritan’s Purse to connect residents with major repair resources.
Winter 2024–2025:
Distributed thousands of propane tank exchanges, heaters, hot tents and wood stoves to keep residents warm through the cold months, including emergency supply runs.
Summer 2025:
Distributed fans and air conditioning units to elderly and medically fragile residents.
Rebuilding Hope - Holidays & Events
Thanksgiving 2024
Served 570 full holiday meals. Alongside the traditional feast, each individual chose a smile item — comfort gifts to brighten the first holiday after the storm. It was a moment of togetherness that reminded families they weren’t alone in recovery.
Christmas 2024
Served 900 meals and hosted a free holiday market where parents chose gifts while kids enjoyed cocoa and games. Elders and homebound residents selected gifts via a “Sears catalogue” system, which we wrapped and delivered, in total distributing over 2200 gifts. The event brought joy and dignity to a season often marked by hardship.
Spring Seeds of Hope Event
Distributed $15,000+ in Spring essentials to 360 households to restart gardens, resume home canning, and reclaim land buried in silt. These seeds, plants, and tools gave families a tangible path to renewal and self-reliance.
Wild Hope Summer Event
A day of joy for local kids with over 50 brand-new bikes, and 200 items of sports gear, pools, and games — inviting families to get back outside and, even in a changed landscape, find fun again. It was a celebration of resilience and the promise of brighter days ahead.
Housing & Rebuilding Projects
Rising Light Relief provided emergency and temporary housing for dozens of households through donated campers and heated tents when necessary. We also outfitted rebuilt homes with pots, pans, plateware, bedding, small appliances, and other essentials to make them livable again.
- Volunteer Support: Sent teams to complete demolition projects, apply mold spray, and haul away damaged goods.
- Toe Cane Church: Restored after severe flood damage — now serving as both a space of worship and a community gathering space.
- Mailboxes: Provided over 150 households with new mailboxes on handmade posts, in partnership with the local post office.
- Gravel & Access Repairs: Placed over 18 tons of gravel to restore safe access to homes cut off by storm erosion.
- Family Assistance: Delivered materials, coordinated volunteer labor, and advocated for help, making larger rebuild projects possible.
We acted as partners in returning homes, gathering places, and neighborhoods to stability.