Skip to content Skip to main navigation Report an accessibility issue

Response to Hurricane Helene – Relief Efforts

Response to Hurricane Helene – Relief Efforts

Updated: 10/2/24 at 3:15 PM 

Current Volunteer Information for the UTK Campus

  • The JCLS has set up an ongoing volunteer sign-up page on ServeUTK.
    • We are collecting information for those interested in volunteering for various relief efforts over the coming weeks and months. This is an interest form to share one’s interest in learning about service opportunities as they are identified.
    • As specific needs are identified, the JCLS will conduct outreach to interested volunteers on ways they can serve through coordinated relief efforts.
    • By signing up for this ongoing event, folks are not signing up for a specific shift, date, or service site.

Information on Direct Service Opportunities

In the immediate aftermath of disasters, agencies have limited volunteer opportunities. However, as time goes on, areas will need assistance in rebuilding. Below is a list of how to find volunteer opportunities in the affected areas (there might not be any active needs for a general volunteer right now but keep checking back).

Samaritan’s Purse

American Red Cross

  • Greene County
    • Anyone interested in working on the long-term recovery effort should contact AIDNET of Greene County by emailing Wendy Peay at wendy@unitedwayofgreenecounty.com
  •  Tri-Cities

Information for Donating Goods

  • The Tennessee State Department of Agriculture has requested that the UT College of Veterinary Medicine serve as the lead for animal-related supplies that have been requested from our affected communities in East Tennessee.
  • Drop off at Brehm Animal Science Arena, 2506 River Drive, Knoxville during the following days/times: 
    • Wednesday, October 2: 2-6 pm
    • Thursday, October 3: 5-7 pm
    • Friday, October 4: 2-6 pm 
  • Please follow signs to the drop-off point.  If needed, additional times will be added to the schedule for drop-offs. 
  • Please ONLY bring the supplies requested on the list below
    • Dog/puppy food: dry or canned 
    • Cat/kitten food: dry or canned 
    • Grain/Pellets for livestock including horses, cattle, sheep/goats, and poultry
    • Rabbit food (and other small pet foods)
    • Square bales of hay.  Please DO NOT donate round bales.
    • Cat litter  

  • All East Tennessee YMCA Locations
    • Donations Requested through End of Day on October 2 to go to Unicoi County on October 3:
      • Water
      • Flashlights
      • Batteries
      • Portable Phone Chargers
      • Trash Bags
      • Dawn Dish Washing Liquid
      • Diapers
      • Baby Wipes
      • Baby Formula
      • Pedialyte
      • Ensure
      • Boost Protein Drinks
  • American Red Cross Blood Donations

  • Elizabethton Park and Recreation Center on Mill Street
    • Donations Requested:
      • Bottled water
      • Canned food
      • NEW clothing, footwear, and socks
      • Baby formula
      • Diapers
      • NO USED ITEMS OF ANY KIND

  • Friends of Greeneville-Green County TN Humane Society
    • Currently accepting donations from 10am-2pm through Saturday 10/5 at 400 N Rufe Taylor Rd, Greeneville, TN 37745
    • Donations Requested:
      • Paper plates and bowls for feeding our cats
      • Paper towels
      • Used blankets/sheets/towels
      • Dog and cat food

  • Johnson County Emergency Management
    • 1923 S. Shady Street, Mountain City, TN 37683
    • Donations Requested:
      • Flashlights
      • Batteries
      • Trash Bags
      • Gloves (both medical and work)
      • Shampoo, Body Wash, Hand Soap
      • Deodorant
      • Rubbing Alcohol
      • Band Aids
      • Unopened and in date Tylenol and Ibuprofen
      • Wet Wipes
      • Charcoal
      • Small Propane Tanks
      • Gas cans and gift cards for fuel
      • Cleaning Supplies
      • Candles
      • NO CLOTHING ACCEPTED AT THIS TIME
  • United Way of East TN Highlands
    • Donations Requested:
      • Packs of bottled water
      • Canned items
      • NEW clothing, footwear, and socks
      • Baby formula
      • Diapers

  • Hunger and Health Coalition (Boone)
    • Donations Requested:
      • Hygiene products (travel size toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, bar soap, tampons/pads, diapers, wipes, NEW socks)
      • Nutrient dense items (beef jerky, peanut butter, fruit pouches, baby food, shelf stable milk, shelf stable items that don’t require water)
      • Hazzard cleaning supplies (paper towels, buckets, rags, gloves, bleach, disinfecting wipes)
      • Flashlights
      • Coolers
      • Batteries
      • Bottled water
  • Operation Air-Drop (Concord, NC)
    • Donations Requested:
      • Packs of bottled water
      • Chewable Benadryl
      • NEW socks
      • NEW towels
      • Baby formula
      • Diapers
      • Food items like nut mixes, granola bars, and beef jerky
  • Hurricane Helene Airlift Relief (Statesville, NC and multiple drop off points across North Carolina)
  • Manna FoodBank in Asheville
    • Oct. 2-5, donations will be accepted from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m at the Asheville Farmers Market (570 Brevard Road, Asheville, NC 28806)
    • Donations Requested:
      • Shelf-stable food (pop-top cans preferred, not requiring a can opener)
      • Bottled water
      • Baby and toddler formula and food
      • Diapers
    • Updates will be made available via the FoodBank’s website
  • BeLoved Asheville
    • Drop-off and staging updates are available on the organization’s social media pages. BeLoved Asheville is located at 32 Old Charlotte Hwy, Asheville, NC 28803.
    • Donations Requested:
      • Food
      • Bottled water
      • Contractor-size trash bags
      • NEW blankets
      • First aid supplies
      • Feminine hygiene products,
      • Diapers and new or very gently used baby clothes
      • Hand sanitizer
      • Toilet paper
      • Paper towels
      • Bleach
      • Shovels
      • Brooms
      • Gloves
      • Coolers
      • Propane
      • Cook stoves
      • Flashlights
      • Batteries
      • Fans
      • Dehumidifiers
      • Generators
  • Diaper Bank: Babies Need Bottoms – Asheville
  • JAARS (Avery County)
    • Supplies can be dropped off at 7700 JAARS Road, Waxhaw, NC 28173 (Mon-Fri, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.).
    • Donations Requested:
      • Water
      • Diapers
      • Infant formula
      • Sports drink powder
      • Protein bars
      • Batteries
      • Flashlights

Information for Donating Funds

  • East Tennessee Foundation
  • TN VOAD
  • AIDNET of Greene County (PO Box 2622, Greeneville, TN 37744) 
    • Anyone interested in working on the long-term recovery effort should contact AIDNET of Greene County by emailing Wendy Peay at wendy@unitedwayofgreenecounty.com

Additional Ways to Support

In the immediate aftermath of disasters, people come together to help and support each other. To make the most of your contributions, it’s important to follow guidelines for donating and volunteering responsibly. The below tried and true best practices will give you a starting point on how you can help volunteer or donate responsibly for Hurricane Helene efforts.

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS ARE OFTEN THE BEST KIND OF DONATION TO MAKE. 

  • Providing a financial contribution to a voluntary organization involved in disaster activities is often the most sensible and efficient way of helping people in need.
  • Cash donations rather than unsolicited donated goods avoid the complicated, costly, and time-consuming process of collecting, sorting, packing, transporting, unloading, resorting, storing, repackaging, and distributing the goods.
  • Cash donations to voluntary organizations help meet the needs of survivors more precisely, as the voluntary organization is in a better position to purchase, or provide vouchers to purchase, what the people need. 
  • Cash donations to recognized relief organizations are also tax deductible.

USED CLOTHING IS RARELY A USEFUL ITEM TO COLLECT FOR DISASTER RELIEF.

  • Used clothing is rarely a useful item to collect and send into the disaster area because it is hard to clean, sort, pack, transport, store, and distribute.
  • Mounds of clothing take up valuable warehouse space and frequently end up being discarded. 

CONFIRM WHAT IS NEEDED BEFORE TAKING ACTION! 

  • The most effective way the public can assist is to support the experienced disaster relief organizations with either financial contributions or in-kind goods and services that the organizations report are needed.
  • Many experienced voluntary organizations involved in disaster relief have toll-free numbers staffed with operators who can provide information about which donated goods are needed in the disaster area.  
  • It is often a mistake to assume what is needed in a disaster.
  • Donors should be wary of anyone who claims that “everything is needed” in a disaster.
  • Get precise information before collecting any donated goods. 

DONATE THROUGH A REGISTERED ORGANIZATION. 

  • It is never a good idea to collect goods for disaster relief without a firm plan in place that confirms the goods are needed, who will receive the goods, how the goods will be transported and how they will be distributed.  
  • During a disaster, experienced disaster relief organizations base their activities on overall situation assessments and detailed needs assessments.  
  • Many relief groups have people and facilities ready to store and distribute the goods. 
  • Coordination with the relief group is essential to ensure the right goods are collected, the right amount is collected, and that logistics issues such as transportation, warehousing, and distribution are fully discussed.
  • Donors will find that it is often most practical to focus on one or two items that an organization needs rather than collect a variety of items. 

DONATED GOODS MUST BE WELL-PACKED AND LABELED. 

  • After confirming that the goods are needed and there is a plan to receive, store, and distribute them – the receiving organization will give you instructions about how the goods should be sorted, packaged, and labeled.  
  • Specific content lists should be taped to the side of each box.  This allows the receiving officials to determine the contents of the box without opening it, thereby allowing for a more timely distribution.  

This information is provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (National VOAD). For more information about FEMA, go to www.fema.gov and for National VOAD, go to www.nvoad.org.

TEMA Flash Reports

The flagship campus of the University of Tennessee System and partner in the Tennessee Transfer Pathway.