West Carteret High School FFA advisor Jordan Lopez (left) and Watauga FFA advisor Haylee Bare (right).
When Hurricane Helene made landfall, the storm wreaked havoc in western North Carolina, prompting many to take immediate action to rejuvenate those left in ruins.
To provide relief, numerous organizations arranged fundraisers, donation efforts and volunteers to assist with the reconstruction process. However, the response from FFA members was more than inspiring. Chapters across the state truly embraced the FFA motto of “Living to Serve.”
West Caldwell High School was among the many that suffered from Hurricane Helene. Nevertheless, this didn’t prevent its FFA chapter from committing to rebuilding the community.
Upon returning to school, members immediately took action to support and revitalize local farmers through supply drives and collecting livestock feed. In addition to this, they assisted with covering donated hay bales. Although the road to recovery appeared long, the action taken by West Caldwell FFA members brought optimism to the position many faced.
Connections between chapters also allowed students to extend their services further.
“Parts of our school district were hit harder than others, so our FFA chapter knew we needed to do something to help out,” says West Caldwell FFA advisor Makayla King. “Several of our members are friends with students in those school districts from showing goats. They were able to reach out to them, make sure they were okay and see if they needed anything.”
Donations continued to pour in, and the gratitude from community members was equally abundant. The Watauga FFA Chapter faced extreme difficulties as a result of Hurricane Helene, but remained grateful for the helping hands that flocked toward western North Carolina.
The distance between these two chapters didn’t discourage them from lending a helping hand.
“Students were overwhelmed to see that another FFA chapter had donated enough supplies to fill our greenhouse, and were excited to bring items home to their families,” says Watauga FFA advisor Haylee Bare. “We’re still in the process of donating everything we have left over that wasn’t used.”
Receiving support from surrounding communities and reciprocating that to other parts of the state brought light to the impact FFA members can have by serving those around them.
“The recovery efforts from the hurricane are still in effect in many ways,” Bare says. “But I think students were able to see something that no one in our community has experienced before. They have all seen the heartbreaking effects of the storm, but they’ve also been able to witness how our community has come together to support each other. The overwhelming generosity of others from all over the state is something we will never forget.”
