DANDRIDGE, Tenn. — It's been over a month since Hurricane Helene and volunteer efforts are growing, meat to help those recovering. Chris Waters, from Knoxville, came up with the idea to host a benefit dinner to support the Black Mountain Home, a group home for children and youth.
The home lost almost 10 buildings to the hurricane and is working to rebuild. Waters said that when he heard of the damage, he knew he had to do something.
"My wife and I are both adopted children and we realized that it could very easily have been us in that situation. They had so much damage over there, so much mud and destruction and we felt like we should have to do something for them," Waters said.
Then he asked Jennifer Bates, owner of a local restaurant, to host it. Her food vendors offered to cover all food costs and allowed all funds raised to go directly to the group home. Bates then decided to expand the efforts to include a toy drive.
"There are so many families from Erwin, Tennessee, all the way through North Carolina that were affected. They won't have money for toys because they're just trying to get houses put back together. Our goal is to fill a tractor-trailer full of toys and just drive it, kind of like Santa's toy train and just let the kids get on the truck and pick whatever they want," she said.
Bates said their other goal is to raise $50,000 for the home to provide the children with some Christmas joy.
"To be able to hand that to Black Mountain and say, 'Buy the kids their toys or bedding or whatever they need to take care of them.' These kids have lost everything. They've had hard lives because they're there to begin with. So what can we do to just make it this Christmas just maybe a tad bit better," Bates said.
Black Mountain Home was left without power for three weeks and without water even longer. Loretta Shelton, the home's Vice President of Development and Community Relations, said when she heard about what Waters and Bates were doing, she cried.
"Two weeks ago, I would have said these are strangers coming alongside us, but they're new friends. They're new members of our family who are walking alongside us as we walk alongside the children," Shelton said.
The home cares for around 170 children each year. Shelton said she and everyone else greatly appreciate the organizers and everyone who has donated.
"I also want to give everyone a big hug because it's such a tremendous thing to do," Shelton said.
The efforts will end with the benefit dinner on Nov. 24 from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Owens Restaurant. Waters and Bates are asking for new toys to be donated. Toys can be dropped off at the restaurant, Pickering and Allen Orthodontist, Gray Hodges, Carey Moving and Storage and Alcoa Chiropractic.