I’ve been living in between two worlds of late. A few days after Tropical Storm Helene devastated our region, my 5-year-old daughter, Eula, registered a 103 fever. My wife, Tatiana, took her to the Charlotte area to make sure she had adequate medical support and running water. Eula’s doing much better now, but she and Tatiana are currently staying put in Mecklenburg County. I’ve been traveling back and forth between both locations.
During all this, Tatiana has been raising funds to help out local residents. Through family and friends, she’s gathered thousands of dollars. On both my visits to the Charlotte area, I’ve been loading up my vehicle and bringing back supplies.
Xpress sponsored my latest journey. On Oct. 4, Cindy Kunst, our distribution coordinator, cleared out the van and had it ready for me to roll. On Oct. 5, I spent all morning and most of the afternoon roaming the aisles of various boxed stores purchasing batteries, buckets, baby formula, hygiene products, tarps, disposable kitchenware — the list goes on.
I got back to Asheville on Oct. 6. I made my rounds to several distribution sites. Some were closed, others were no longer accepting donations. Ultimately, I found my way to the Pit of Despair (the vacant lot across from the street from Harrah’s Cherokee Center — Asheville). There, the United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County cleared the van.
The vehicle is back with Cindy, who used it to delivery this week’s paper. I’m grateful to her and the entire Xpress management team for making this latest trip possible. I’m also so proud of and thankful for the Xpress team, who has banded together during this difficult time to keep folks up to date on our region’s recovery.
Finally, a big thanks to Tatiana for initiating the fundraiser, a huge shoutout to everyone who contributed and a big smile for Eula’s recovery.
Hang in there, everyone.
Editor’s note: This reflection first appeared in the Oct. 7 Xpress newsletter. Sign up to receive our daily newsletter at avl.mx/e7i.
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