Deep in the mountains, there is pain and perseverance in the community of Todd.

The South Fork Baptist Church is ground zero for goodwill and a whole lot of willpower to carry on in the face of tough times.

What You Need To Know

  • The South Fork Baptist Church has become a dropoff and collection site in the unincorporated community of Todd

  • The church will serve three meals on Saturday and one meal on Sunday

  • The associate pastor said the basement will need repairs after floodwaters rose 3-4 feet

The church has become a hub for donations and supplies. The community is in an unincorporated area straddling the Ashe and Watauga county line.

The church began serving meals on Friday and will continue through breakfast Sunday.

People are donating generators, their time and everyday essentials, but last week was a different story.

Supplies started showing up last Saturday: canned goods, diapers, water and more.

Joyce Benson has generations of family in Todd and drove to help from North Raleigh.

“I feel so grateful now that I am seeing the outpouring of support in this community,” Benson said.

Senior Pastor David Cooper is flabbergasted with delight.

“People have brought supplies from everywhere. We’ve just been loving on everybody and being loved on by everybody. To me, that’s what church should be,” Cooper said.

Lee Wilder, the youth pastor, said he knew something was wrong the morning of Sept. 27 when he noticed the nearby fishing expedition and outfitter River Girl lost a few items to the storm.

“Kayaks and tubes just started going down the river,” he said.

Wilder said the rain stopped but the river didn’t. It was backed up with debris and a massive tree. He said the water rose 3-4 feet.

He lives next door with his family. They experienced damage there, too.

“I don’t ever want to go through that again,” Wilder said.

But out of pain comes perseverance.

Good Samaritans dropped off generators, then were picked up by volunteers such as John Wilson.

“I was willing to come. I’ve taken days off from work and said wherever you need me to take supplies, take stuff, I can do it. Let’s do it,” Wilson said.

Volunteer Austin Bartolomei-Hill just wanted to lend a hand.

“Just true of every town and every community up here is that people are going to take care of each other,” Bartolomei-Hill said.

Carrie Boone is part of the effort, too. She gathered supplies and took donations to community shelters. Boone has shared what she is doing on Facebook and Instagram. 

“I think I’ve probably gotten at least $10,000 in donations from friends and family through Venmo,” she said.

Boone said she’s taking community lists of needs off social media from Ashe to Watauga counties and beyond. A former student of hers goes to church here and let her know what they are doing.

Boone made it a point to stop by to fill up her car. The load carried on Friday from the church left for Spear.

“There’s no way you could sit at home right now and not do anything,” she said.

The church plans to serve three hot meals on Saturday:

  • Breakfast 7-10 a.m.
  • Lunch 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
  • Dinner 4-7 p.m.  

On Sunday, breakfast will be 7-10 a.m.

The church at 157 S. Fork Church Road, Todd, will be open for pickups all weekend.