CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- If you sit down with Chris Harker, he'll tell you what he loves most about New Bern. The president of Triple C Brewing Co. in Charlotte who went to high school there says the hurricane’s impact on the area struck a chord with him.

  • Triple C and The Carolina Calvary out of Raleigh are helping storm victims
  • $15,000 has been raised so far
  • Triple C is only one of two Charlotte-area businesses that signed up as donation sites so far

"My folks have a house down there, we haven’t really come to terms with the damage yet," said Harker.

In the days to follow, he linked up with friend and fellow alum Garrett Purdue, who told him about The Carolina Cavalry. It's a newly-formed grassroots group out of Raleigh that's putting all their time and effort into helping the area they know and love so well. Their momentum is moving faster than anticipated.

"We’ve raised over $15,000. We’ve taken the equivalent of $30,000 worth of supplies to New Bern with three 15-foot truck-fulls," explained Harker.

Triple C is only one of two Charlotte-area businesses that signed up as donation sites so far. They need everything from new clothes to blankets, paper goods and more.

"It’s a silver lining to the tragedy," said Harker. "Feels really unique. There’s no bottom line, no salary to pay. It’s just people folks volunteering and helping.”

Triple C is accepting donations from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. through Friday, 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Tryon Distributing will load up trucks to drop off Triple C’s collection in Raleigh on Monday.