If you have been looking for ways to help out with the relief efforts in Western NC after Hurricane Helene, look first at your own home. As I read through the lists of items needed most by relief groups, the lists are made up of items commonly deemed to be clutter - disposable silverware filling up the junk drawer, that huge box of diapers that are the wrong size, period products that were on autoship so now there are more boxes than could be used in a year, baby clothes that the kids outgrew, and so on.
My goal with this post is to support relief efforts and to make that more actionable for people who want to help and know they have items that could be more useful elsewhere, but struggle to get it together. We all lead busy lives that can make it hard to respond in a moment of collective crisis, especially when we already find it challenging to respond to small challenges in our personal day-to-day.
Maybe you shut down when given a multi-step task like finding or purchasing donations, at a loss for determining what those steps are or how to begin. Or maybe you can get started, but lose steam when it comes to deciding where to donate items. If you’re anything like me, the final steps of getting donations you’ve collected out the door might be your challenge.
Consider this blog post your step-by-step for providing aid to Western NC and the rest of Southern Appalachia impacted by the storm. I’ll direct you where to look in your home, where to donate in the Triangle, and more.
In addition to getting your things together to donate, I am offering free accountability check-ins to help anyone wishing to donate who needs help following through. More information on that after the list of items needed, along with ways to donate money or purchase from Amazon wishlists.
What to Donate and Where to Find it in Your Home
Kitchen
Drawers/Cabinets
Manual can openers
First-aid supplies
Tylenol, Motrin - sealed only, no open package
Pantry
Bottled water
Sports drinks (powdered packets)
Powder hydration packets
Non-perishable foods; canned items with pop tops preferred over those that need a can opener
Unopened Baby Formula - specialty formulas are particularly needed
Pet food (Dog & Cat)
Under Sink
Trash bags (13 gal or contractor)
Cleaning supplies
Junk Drawer
Plastic utensils
Sanitizer wipes
Laundry Room
Toilet paper
Paper towels
Bleach
Cleaning supplies
Flashlights
Batteries
Bathrooms/Linen Closet
Baby wipes
Diapers (children & adults)
Diaper rash cream
Bug spray
Sunscreen
Cleaning supplies
Toothbrushes
Toothpaste
Toiletries/ Sanitation items
Feminine hygiene products
Hand Sanitizer
Blankets
Toilet paper
First-aid supplies
Tylenol, Motrin - sealed only, no open packages
Bedrooms
New socks (all sizes)
New in package - Underwear, Bras, socks, T-shirts
Baby clothes
Baby wipes
Diapers (children & adults)
Diaper rash cream
Garage/Shed
Bottled water
Trash bags (13 gal or contractor)
Heavy duty work gloves
Plastic sheeting/tarps
Pet food (Dog & Cat)
Shovels
Brooms
Coolers
Propane
Cook stoves
Flashlights
Batteries
TAKE NOTE
This is a non-exhaustive list intended to jumpstart your personal donation effort. The list includes items my experience has shown me are often overstocked in homes and kept until they can be used up. Now is a great time to let those in greater need use up your back stock.
These items will be accepted by most general relief organizations, but it is always best to verify the specific needs of the organization you will be donating to. For example, Operation Airdrop can’t take chemicals of any kind since they are being flown in to distribute and the Diaper Bank of NC takes items specifically needed for diapering at all ages.
Where to Donate Items in the Triangle
Primary Sources: Indy Week and Chapelboro. Check there for regularly updated lists.
Diaper Bank of NC — multiple locations
Raleigh
Burial Beer Co. — 500 E Davie St. #170, Raleigh | Collecting items for Triangle YP Civitan
Dogwood Country Club — 2431 Crabtree Blvd. #101 | Collecting items for Operation Airdrop
Hometown Martial Arts — 5500 Atlantic Springs Rd.
Operation AirDrop — 207 Bickett Blvd.
Raleigh Brewing — 3709 Neil St. | Collecting items for Operation Airdrop
Raleigh United Mutual Aid Hub — 415 Hillsborough St.
Durham
Art Post — 718 Iredell St.
Bull City Smiles — 2705 North Duke St.
Durham Rescue Mission — 1201 E. Main St.
Emerge Pediatric Therapy — 3905 University Dr.
Fullsteam & Boxyard RTP — 900 Park Offices Dr. | Collecting for Triangle YP Civitan
Fuzzy Needle — 1005 W Chapel Hill St. | Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sun 11 am.-4 p.m.
Glass Jug — 545 Foster Street Suite 10 | Collecting for Triangle YP Civitan
Maverick’s Smokehouse and Taproom — 900 W Main Street
The Can Opener —205 South Gregson St.
The Scrap Exchange — 2050 Chapel Hill Rd.
Cary
Bond Brothers Beer Company — 202 E. Cedar St.
Emerge Pediatric Therapy — 3100 NC-55, Suite 102
Raleigh Brewing — 2036 Renaissance Park Pl. | Collecting items for Operation Airdrop
Chapel Hill/Carrboro
Armadillo Grill — 108 East Main St., Carrboro
Back Alley Bikes — 100 Boyd St., Carrboro
Emerge Pediatric Therapy — 110 Two Hills Dr., Carrboro
Fitch Lumber & Hardware — 309 North Greensboro St., Carrboro
Kappa Kappa Psi fraternity at UNC — Room 106 at Hill Hall, 145 East Cameron Ave., Chapel Hill | until Thursday, Oct. 3. Contact: Clara Hockenberry at 828-708-4280 or chockenberry@unc.edu.
Give Money to Support Relief Efforts
These are links to the most comprehensive lists I’ve seen of vetted organizations providing relief, where you can make financial donations to support their efforts. Disaster relief, unfortunately, is costly and underfunded.
Amazon Wishlists
Operation Airdrop - RDU to CLT
Accountability for Action
Finally, if you need an accountability partner on getting your donations together and getting them out the door, building an Amazon cart from a wishlist and completing checkout, or completing an online donation, send me an email via the form below or text my business line at 919-228-8424. Tell me briefly which of these specific tasks you want to accomplish and I will give you instructions for accountability so together we can make sure it gets done.