BOONE, N.C. — Hospitality House Northwest serves seven western North Carolina counties and houses hundreds of people with varying needs, including those displaced by Helene.

Executive Director Tina Krause said as people begin moving back into their homes, there is a growing demand for household items. 

What You Need To Know

Hospitality House Northwest helps people in need in Watauga, Wilkes, Ashe, Avery, Alleghany, Mitchell and Yancey counties

Many in their service area were impacted by Helene

Since Helene, the food and housing demand at their Boone location has skyrocketed 

“The housing stock was reduced tremendously. So for people, so many people lost their homes, who were renters. As we rehouse people, we’re making sure that they have what they need, you know. We’re making sure they have bedding and pillows,” Krause said.

Krause said the number of people relying on them for daily meals or food pantry boxes also soared from 16,000 a month pre-Helene to over 18,000 after the storm. 

“It really is 2,000 more this past month, and based on the cost of our meals being served, that is going to mean this increase for us on the food cost as well. So we have a lot more interest in very heavily reliant on donations, and at this point, that was probably one of my greatest needs,” Krause said. 

Hospitality House also began sheltering more people who lost their homes because of the storm. To make extra space, their cafeteria now converts to a men’s sleeping area at night. 

“This past year, we housed 247 households in our housing units, so that was 100 more than the year before. This year we’re seeing an uptick in that already with the number of people we’re working with who are displaced just because of Helene or because of their economic situation, causing them to lose their housing," Krause explained. 

She said the entire service area, including the Boone headquarters, saw damage from Helene. With the help of the community, however, they have been able to meet the changing needs of people who rely on them. 

“There were people from out of state, people who had been at the university years ago, people who drove up in a car, who you can tell did not have a lot, and to me, that is what mountain strong means,” Krause said. 

The group partners with the Second Harvest Food Bank for donations.

If you would like to donate, click here.