355 Heroes, 1,742 Hours: The VRC and United Way's Helene Recovery Effort

In the days following Hurricane Helene, our community was raw, wounded, and in need. The devastation touched all of us, leaving streets and neighborhoods scattered with debris and countless families unsure of where to turn. Yet amid the pain, one thing became clear: we would rely on each other to get through this. Strangers turned into friends, neighbors became family, and our community looked towards rebuilding together. United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County (UWABC) was no exception and within 3 days of the Hurricane, our staff was working together and with our community to provide all our skills on the path to relief and recovery. One of the many ways we worked to recover was to connect those who wanted to help with those who needed it most.

We have been connecting volunteers to opportunities through our Hands-On Asheville Buncombe site for over 20 years and when the Buncombe County government asked us to set up a physical location volunteers could be connected and dispatched into the community we didn’t miss a beat.

With our central location, deep-rooted connections, and trusted partnerships, UWABC was already positioned to set up a Volunteer Recruitment Center (VRC) quickly and effectively. In just three weeks of this initiative being set up, we brought in 355 drop-in volunteers who contributed an incredible 1,742 hours of service. These were friends, neighbors, and even out-of-town folks, all stepping up to be part of the recovery.

The VRC's setup was a joint effort with Buncombe County Government and Lutheran Disaster Relief. We had never operated a VRC and the expertise that the team from Lutheran Disaster Relief provided was invaluable. As our Director of Volunteer Engagement, Denise Gonzalez put it,

“I am really proud of how everybody worked together really well. It wasn’t something that any of us had ever done...but we worked really well together to just figure it out and get it done.”

Each volunteer who walked through our doors underwent a simple but crucial process. “People coming in and doing an interview with them to understand whether they’re a good fit, giving them daily different color wristbands...And then figuring out the Buncombe County places that they were going to get deployed to,” shared Denise. As the numbers grew, we expanded to deploy volunteers to any organization, listing volunteer opportunities on Hands On, maximizing impact throughout the community.

Hosting this VRC wasn’t just a response to disaster; it was a reminder of our mission to be connectors. Although the need for a physical VRC is over, we are still working closely with organizations across the county to help them with their volunteer needs and connect our Hands-On volunteers to them. We are so grateful for everyone who joined us on this journey, showing that together, we can rebuild anything.

Our Hands On Asheville Buncombe website has dozens of new volunteer opportunities posted every week and we send weekly email alerts to over 7,000 people who are interested in Helene recovery efforts.

To volunteer, sign up via Hands-On Asheville Buncombe

To support this work Donate to our Hurricane Helene Recovery Efforts

Want to hear directly from our volunteers? Check out Zholi’s story

THE LATEST