As Florida braces for the Category 4 Hurricane Milton to make landfall tonight, thousands are still recovering from Hurricane Helene, whose storm path brought destruction across Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, East Tennessee, and Virginia. It has killed more than 200 people, and hundreds are still missing.
In the wake of such devastation, Memphians have come together to offer their support. “Asheville you have loved me, clothed me, danced with me, painted me, fed me, and lifted me up,” musician Louise Page writes on her Instagram. “Now let’s lift you up in return. … Asheville is home to my brother, my sister, my cousins, and so many amazing artists, musicians, and humans who have treated me like a sister without a second thought. It is a beautiful community of beautiful people, and right now they need our support.”
On Sunday, October 13th, Page, along with several local musicians, are raising funds to support those affected by Hurricane Helene in a benefit concert organized by Graham Winchester. Proceeds go to Rafi’s Farmers Relief, Arts AVL (Asheville Area Arts Council), and IamAvl (Independent Arts & Music Asheville). Performing and donating their time are Oakwalker (1-1:40 p.m.), Turnstyles (2-2:40 p.m.), Hope Clayburn (3-3:40 p.m.), Lina Beach and Uriah Mitchell of Royal Studios (4-4:40 p.m.), Louise Page (5-5:40 p.m.) as mentioned earlier, Laundry Bats (6-6:35 p.m.), Rachel Maxann (6:50-7:25), Found Harmonium (7:30-8:05), and Jack Oblivian (8:15-8:45 p.m.). The concert will be hosted at Railgarten.
Meanwhile, Memphis Made Brewing is hosting a donation drive for Eastern Tennessee through Saturday, October 12th, with guidance from the Appalachian Voices, an environmental conservation organization. They are asking for cold weather items, PPE, medicines, and personal hygiene items (full list here). The drive also coincides with the brewery’s first Oktoberfest, so you can drop off donations and enjoy the festivities on Saturday starting at noon. The day includes the new Gebirge Bier (German for “the mountains”), a benefit beer for hurricane relief, and a pumpkin toss, with the $25 participation fee going to Asheville. Other drop-off times for donations are Wednesday to Friday, 4 to 10 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Over in Collierville, IMC Logistics has partnered with Northeast Tennessee Disaster Relief (NTDR) to fill a shipping container with supplies. Once the container is full, an IMC driver will be taking it to the NTDR Distribution Center in Bristol, Tennessee, for those affected by Hurricane Helene. Supplies needed include generators, charcoal grills and charcoal, flashlights and batteries, battery-powered lanterns, blankets, propane grills, propane heaters, baby formula, diapers, tarps, empty (new) gas cans, tents, sleeping bags, solar charging stations, and HotHands packets. Drop off donations at IMC’s office, 1305 Schilling Blvd. West, through the end of the business day on Friday. (Details here.)
Area law-enforcement agencies are also asking for donations for East Tennesseans. They are asking for flashlights, batteries, water, empty gas cans, baby items, hygiene products (shampoo, soap, feminine products, etc.), and medical supplies. All items must be new and unopened. No clothing is being accepted at this time. Drop-off sites are Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Substation, 11670 Memphis-Arlington Road, Arlington; Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Training Academy, 993 Dovecrest Road, Memphis; and Bartlett Police Department, 3730 Appling Road, Bartlett. Donations can be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Friday, October 11th.
Through Friday, October 11th, City & State is donating 5 percent of net sales (both in-store and online) to the Equal Plates Project, which is providing meal aid at their two Asheville kitchens through partnerships with local initiatives. You can also make donations directly at checkout. City & State’s goal is to raise $1,000 by the end of the week.
If you have a donation drive or other hurricane relief effort that you would like added to this list, please email abigail@memphisflyer.com and/or add it to our calendar at events.memphisflyer.com.