Madison County, North Carolina
I follow a Facebook page that serves the ELCA Clergy, so have been hearing directly from people close to what is happening in Western North Carolina. One of the pastors who lives in the area says that material donations can be overwhelming to sort and distribute. For the time being the best thing for those who are able is to provide financial assistance.
I shared in worship and in an earlier email for us to think about what it would be like for those places similar to places we know that would be severely affected by a storm this severe. The community of Marshall, North Carolina was hit particularly hard. My friend, Virginia, knows Emily and Jon, the couple who own Madison Natural Foods. There are two GoFundMe pages people can contribute to: Madison Natural Foods and Help Downtown Marshall Rebuild. These are not non-profit organizations, but Madison Natural Foods is a place that could be located in downtown Oconomowoc, and Help Downtown Marshall Rebuild is the kind of entity that would be formed in our local municipalities if a natural disaster hit close to home.
Wouldn’t it be amazing, down the road, if some of us were able to go to Marshall, North Carolina, and see the transformation? We might even think about sending people to help rebuild when the time is right.
Above all things, continue to pray for all those who have been affected by these two storms. There has been a tremendous loss of life and property, but there is hope, as we continue to see people come together in the name of love.
See you in church!!