Our hearts go out to the people devastated by Hurricane Helene. The storm made landfall on the Florida Gulf Coast with 140-mph winds and swept across several southeastern states, causing lethal flooding and leaving thousands homeless and without clean water and electricity.

In Vermont we know how much it matters when people send help and hope in the wake of disaster. After the 2023 floods and when disaster struck again just a few months ago, support from people around the country allowed the Vermont Community Foundation to quickly get funds out the door through the VT Flood Response & Recovery Fund to affected communities. Now, we want to offer some guidance to those who may be interested in helping our neighbors to the South.

We have reached out to peer community foundations in impacted areas, knowing firsthand the critical role that they play in quickly distributing funds and filling gaps—especially where federal funding is unavailable or delayed. These community foundations and other organizations listed below are all 501c3 nonprofits eligible for gifts from donor advised funds at the Vermont Community Foundation.

How to Help

FLORIDA

The Community Foundation of North Florida is based in Tallahassee and responding to the disaster around the hard-hit Big Bend region.

GEORGIA

Community Foundation for the Central Savannah River Area has created the Hurricane Helene Community Crisis Fund.

NORTH CAROLINA

The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina in Asheville is supporting immediate response efforts in a region that was devastated by Helene flooding and mudslides.

North Carolina Community Foundation is responding to immediate needs in addition to setting up for long-term response.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Central Carolina Community Foundation in Columbia is working with local nonprofits on relief and rebuilding through its One SC Fund.

TENNESSEE

The East Tennessee Foundation in Knoxville is supporting immediate and long-term response through its Neighbor to Neighbor Fund.

VIRGINIA

United Way of Southwest Virginia has activated a disaster relief fund.

NATIONAL

In addition to community foundations in the six states most affected by Hurricane Helene, many national organizations are working on relief. Here are a few:

The American Red Cross has mobilized to respond to Helene with emergency shelter, food, clothing, clean water, and more than 500 disaster relief workers already on the ground.

The Center for Disaster Philanthropy is responding through its Atlantic Hurricane Season Recovery Fund.

World Central Kitchen is on the ground serving meals and assessing food needs in Helene’s wake.