Want to help with Helene recovery, support public schools? Rural tourism matters
During the 2023-24 school year, local revenue for school districts supported 23% of expenditures — a total of $4,171,471,919 statewide. Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina at the end of September 2024, tourists were not able to visit to see our fall leaves, and now some districts are facing cuts to local funding.
The historic storm generated rainfall, strong winds, landslides, and tornadoes, among other weather impacts, totaling $59.6 billion in damage.
“As of March 31, 2025, the federal government and North Carolina state government had directed approximately $5.95 billion — about 10% of the estimated impact of the storm — to aid western North Carolina communities in the wake of Hurricane Helene,” according to the latest state report.
You can help by visiting and supporting businesses in western North Carolina this summer.
EdNC’s reporting on Hurricane Helene
First Lady Anna Stein recently joined the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, Ashe County Chamber of Commerce, and local tourism operations to promote the Western North Carolina Chamber Business Coalition’s #WNCOpenforBusiness.
One of Stein’s priorities as first lady is rural tourism.
“The important thing is that we intentionally spend our tourist dollars in Western North Carolina this summer to keep its recovery going strong,” Stein said. “Western North Carolina is open for business!”
You can support western North Carolina by planning a trip, going on an adventure, shopping, dining, or ordering products online from your favorite local business — from Poppy Hand-Crafted Popcorn in Asheville, to Willow Hill Soap Company in Canton.
Corbett’s Craft Meats, located in Deep Gap, is a family farm that has been operating for five generations.
“Our family migrated to Watauga County in the mid 1800s and started farming with the dream of creating a better life for them & their children. That same desire and the farm has persisted to this day,” says the website.
On July 27, 2025, Corbett’s is hosting “Dinner in the Gap,” a farm-to-table gala that will include a seven course meal highlighting “the rich and diverse food culture of North Carolina.” The event will showcase chefs and mixologists from across North Carolina.
This year the gala will also include an auction to support Brushy Fork Baptist Church and the rebuilding of a new community center.
“On September 27, 2024, Hurricane Helene brought unfathomable loss and devastation across the Blue Ridge Mountains — the mountains we call Home,” says Corbett’s website. “An immediate call to action brought us in touch with Jason Allen of Carolina Cooker, who spent countless hours connecting North Carolina producers and restaurant owners all over the state to bring supplies up to the mountains.”
An outdoor kitchen was set up on the Corbett’s farm. Once the meals were ready, they were delivered to the Brushy Fork Baptist Church disaster relief center where they fed those in and around the community in the aftermath of the hurricane.
Come for the gala, stay for the weekend, support our rebuilding.
“Western North Carolina is ready to provide vacationers with a fun escape, whether they enjoy outdoor adventures like tubing, fishing, hiking, and ziplining or indoor adventures like shopping, restaurants, and breweries,” Stein said.
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