Sterling church preparing third relief shipment to help Hurricane Helene victims in North Carolina

Nov. 12—STERLING — A church in Sterling is asking for the community's help in supporting those impacted by Hurricane Helene in Asheville, North Carolina.

New Life Lutheran Church is collecting donations for its third relief shipment of supplies, which will depart Nov. 21 for Asheville. Over the last two shipments, the church collected over $9,000 in supplies and transportation funds, including food, baby formula, chainsaws and generators.

One Asheville resident who received supplies from a previous shipment shared their gratitude in a statement provided by New Life: "Helene has broken many here, and y'all are a light in what I consider a war-torn community. The hurt and rebuilding will be here for generations, but so will the thankfulness for y'all and God's grace. Thank you for the food, money, time, feeding, driving, tiredness — everything... We love you and your community, just can't say it enough."

This time, New Life is asking for donations of new warm clothing, including jackets, socks, blankets and other winter essentials, to help keep Asheville residents warm as they prepare to rebuild through the winter. The church is also taking sleeping bags, tents, tarps, generators and cash donations.

A church member has donated a new 28-foot enclosed trailer that can haul up to 10 tons of supplies, and New Life Lutheran Church Pastor Drew Williams anticipates this shipment will be the largest yet.

"Our goal this time is to bring our whole community together in the name of Jesus to help those facing both the immediate and long-term impacts of Hurricane Helene," Williams said. "We're seeing neighbors, businesses, and churches step up in an incredible way, and it's inspiring to witness how God is at work through all of us."

To help directly, visit 828strong.com and donate or call New Life's office at 708-203-6677. New Life's office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Helene made landfall Sept. 26 as a Category 4 storm in Florida's Big Bend area, leaving widespread destruction across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, and a death toll of more than 200. About half of those victims were from North Carolina. Helene is the deadliest mainland storm since Katrina in 2005, which claimed more than 1,800 lives.