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By Mandy Haggerson

For the Clemmons Courier

As the community of Clemmons First Baptist Church (CFBC) watched what was happening in western North Carolina during Hurricane Helene, its members immediately felt compelled to do something about it.

Pastor David Pace, a missiologist, said, “It was an automatic no brainer. We didn’t want to just start throwing things out there, we wanted to be intentional. We had looked at partnering with another church in that area. Initially, every single church began to collect items from floor to ceiling, so they didn’t need our help.”

CFBC member Dana Bryson, owner of the Village Inn in Clemmons, began having families come stay at her establishment through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Bryson and her staff began establishing relationships with the affected families, and it was the opportunity that Pace and his church members had been looking for to make a direct impact.

“I watched my church mobilize to do everything possible to help these people. As Dana began receiving these families, church members like Patsy Everhart and Nancy Pearce began to help with collecting items needed to help in their darkest moment,” Pace said.

As Everhart recalled, “Some of these families had lost absolutely everything.”

Everhart, Bryson and Pearce began taking all of the generous donations from their church members and creating a thrift store essentially.

“At the front of the Village Inn, people would stop by at all times of the day to donate clothing, shoes, toys and other supplies that we would organize,” Everhart said. “So, when people would come to stay at the Village Inn, we would have a place for them to look at items that they needed. Many of the families were driving back and forth to Asheville to get to their job too, so we were discovering their needs were evolving.” 

What humbled these dedicated volunteers most, is that whenever they put a need out there, it was often met with multiple offers.

“I remember putting out a need for size 12 pants, and within hours I had more than I could even fathom,” Bryson said.

Aside from physical items, Bryson has noticed that these families have appreciated feeling supported. One woman who was staying at the Village Inn long term was moved to tears when Bryson checked on her.

“I just called her to see if she needed anything,” Bryson said. “I asked her, ‘how are you doing?’ And she said she was ‘OK,’ but wanted to know why I was calling and if something was wrong. I repeated myself and told her I just wanted to know how she was doing personally. She reluctantly admitted to being hungry, and I told her to meet me at the church. When we got there, Patsy was there to welcome her. I hugged the woman, and she broke down in tears. Just knowing we cared meant the world to her. She began to cheer up when she felt the compassion of people like Patsy.”

Having helped around 50 families, Bryson, Pearce and Everhart have created strong ties and bonds with them.

“Helping families is something that they do every day,” Pace said. “While our church has already allocated $35,000 in funds for this year, and at a minimum of a 3-year commitment, these ladies have utilized all of their resources to help.” 

Bryson added, “We realized after the generosity of our church members and our community, that we would need to have a separate location for our donations. We moved it to our family life center at the church. We are still utilizing the Village Inn to collect locations because it’s open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. People can come anytime to drop off donations.”

Everhart noted that “some of the most critical needs right now include gas cards to go back and forth to their jobs. Also, grocery and restaurant cards, quarters for doing laundry are greatly needed.”

Several families are looking for a car because theirs were destroyed.

“Gift cards for Walmart or Target are helpful too because families can get baby supplies, food and other items that we might not have at our church,” Bryson said. “Families have appreciated the outpouring of support from our community and are now planning to relocate here to Clemmons.”

Everhart added, “It can be expensive to stay in an apartment because you not only have to pay for your first month’s rent, but you also have to put down a deposit. Any help from community members that are able and willing to assist us with would be wonderful.” 

In addition to gift cards, cars and apartment assistance, another need has been job opportunities.

“Because some families would like to stay, they are seeking employment in our area,” Pearce said. “Networking with small business owners and our community to help get the word out that we have people eager to become gainfully employed is important.” 

Although Pearce, Everhart, Bryson, Pace and other volunteers have witnessed the needs of these families firsthand. They have also taken in the moments that have brought joy back in their lives.

“We recently had a birthday party for one of the children, and it was a chance for them to celebrate, get out of the hotel, and enjoy the milestone,” said Pearce who helped organize the festivity. 

As the holiday season is upon us, these members of CFBC are continuing to work hard to help families from western N.C. rebuild their lives.

“A lot of churches are dead today because they don’t see how powerful God is through them,” Pace said. “A lot of people have come to expect to find what they need on Sunday. However, it’s important not to miss these everyday God moments. Having someone hug your neck and tell you that they couldn’t have done it without you. Those are the stories that increase our faith. These people who survived what happened to them in the hurricane and are picking themselves back up, they are the true heroes.”