09/25/2026
Two years ago, Hurricane Helene changed my life.
Western North Carolina isn’t just where Divine Disaster Relief works. It’s home. My family has roots here, and when Hurricane Helene devastated these communities, I couldn’t sit back and watch families I knew and places I loved struggle to figure out what came next.
Divine Disaster Relief didn’t begin with a strategic plan, an office, or a large staff. It began with a simple desire to help.
In those first months, we were helping families find hotel rooms and temporary housing, delivering supplies, finding vehicles, and trying to fill whatever need was directly in front of us. We never imagined that those first efforts would grow into a nonprofit that would still be here two years later, rebuilding homes and helping families navigate some of the hardest chapters of their lives.
Since then, DDR has helped hundreds of WNC residents. We’ve provided campers and temporary housing, repaired homes, rebuilt private roads, funded septic and well systems, helped families secure vehicles, furnished homes, coordinated thousands of volunteer hours, supported local contractors, and taken on 10+ complete home rebuilds.
But the numbers will never tell the whole story.
Behind every project is a person.
It’s the elderly homeowner who thought she might never live safely in her home again. The parents trying to create stability for their children after losing everything. The veteran starting over. The families who spent months wondering if anyone was still coming to help.
And it’s the moment we get to hand someone keys, celebrate a house blessing, or watch a family finally walk back through their own front door.
That is why we are still here.
Two years later, the headlines have moved on, but recovery in WNC is not over. There are still families waiting. There are still homes that need to be repaired and rebuilt. There are still people navigating permits, funding gaps, insurance issues, and unmet needs.
And our small, but mighty team, is still showing up.
I’m incredibly grateful for every donor, volunteer, contractor, church, nonprofit, business, foundation, and community partner who has trusted us and worked alongside us. None of this impact belongs to one person or one organization.
What started as a response to a disaster has become one of the greatest privileges of my life.
Two years after Hurricane Helene, our commitment remains the same:
We will keep showing up.
We will keep rebuilding.
We will keep fighting for the families who still need someone in their corner.
And we will keep reminding Western North Carolina that they have not been forgotten.
There is still work to do.
And we’re still here. ❤️
Because together, we can make a difference. 🫶
— Lauren Dellinger
Founder & Executive Director
Divine Disaster Relief
