Local residents help with Hurricane Helene relief efforts

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Local residents help with Hurricane Helene relief efforts
Kathy Dunsmore packs a carton full of donations during a drive at the Southborough Senior Center on Saturday, Oct. 5. (Photo/Maureen Sullivan)

REGION – Kathy Dunsmore went to Asheville, North Carolina, to visit a friend.

She came just after Hurricane Helene tore through much of the southeastern U.S., including western North Carolina and much of Tennessee.

“The roads were closed” when she tried to visit her friend, Dunsmore said. “There were trees all over the road.”

She recalled seeing some stores open, and people lined up around the block just to charge their phones.

When she finally got to see her friend and brought them food, “they said it was like living in 1850,” she said. 

“The hardest thing is not having water,” Dunsmore said. “They were going to the creek with buckets so they can flush their toilets.”

It may take weeks for the region to recover. In the meantime, Dunsmore has become part of local efforts to send supplies to areas impacted by Helene.

At the Southborough Senior Center on Saturday, Oct. 5, a big Ted’s Towing truck awaited donations. In front of the truck, a dozen volunteers sorted donations, from diapers to bottled water.

“People are giving with their hearts,” said Lisa Braccio, who helped organize the event.

She said the drive began Thursday morning when a phone call or two resulted in the donations of a truck from Ted’s and storage boxes from United Global Packaging Solutions.

Two days and one social media post later, volunteers were taking donations, sorting them and getting them ready for transport.

By the end of Saturday, the truck was full and ready to head south.

“It was an amazing community event,” said Braccio.

In Hudson, two members of the Hudson Light & Power line crew went to Georgia to help restore power to those affected. In Northborough, Hays Funeral Home on Main Street staged a three-day donation drive.

On Sunday, Oct. 6, Dawna and Virginia Hurst sorted clothes into boxes. Just beyond were boxes of toothbrushes, diapers, pet food, bottled water and more, ready to be sorted and packed.

Just outside the main entrance were several portable grills. According to Funeral Home Director Jeff Koopman, the lightweight grills could be placed on a bicycle or horse so they could be delivered to remote locations.

The donations “surpassed everyone’s expectations,” said Dawna Hurst.

Organized by Koopman’s wife, Rachel, the donations will be delivered via truck to a funeral home on the Tennessee/North Carolina border. From there, their staff will be distributing the items to where they are needed most.

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