Our amazing community in Charleston, SC came together to support our neighbors in Western North Carolina after the awful hurricane at the end of September. I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of this community. Posts online from friends, strangers, businesses, etc. in the last few weeks have been heartfelt, supportive, and overall amazing.
When it first happened, I was so sad for these people. The videos were all over my For You Page. People were sharing the prayer requests. I immediately thought, “What do we do?” That’s when Candace Crompton, a local homeschool mom of two, posted on social media that she was going to start a drive and collect items. She shared, “My heart is broken over my hometown’s devastation, and the only way I can help from [Charleston] is to do a flood relief drive.”
My heart broke for her and her hometown. Can you all imagine your hometown right now? Seriously, close your eyes. Where were you in third grade? What ice cream shop did you go to to celebrate your report card? You can probably picture special areas from your hometown that mean so much to you and your family.
Now, imagine it was gone. Gone. All those buildings and places you loved so much and thought you might take your kids back to one day . . . gone.
I am so inspired by Candace for jumping in to help the only way she knew how. To be honest, her post was the FIRST one I saw. It was posted just a day or two after the devastation. I think most of us were still shocked and gut-wrenched over the videos being posted. She jumped in and started a wave of people doing the exact same.
I thought, what better way to share her inspiring story than to interview her and let her share with all of you?
Moms to See in the 843: Candace Crompton
Tell me about your hometown. How long did you live there? What was so special about it?
I grew up in Rutherfordton, NC (in Rutherford County). Most people are more familiar with the Lake Lure and Chimney Rock areas in that county, about 15 minutes from where I lived. I lived there for 18 years until moving to Charleston in 2004. Home was peaceful and safe. It was a place where everyone knew everyone; Friday nights were for high school football games; Sundays were for big family meals and seeing cousins; holidays up at the lake. It was slow-paced and I loved it there.
What is your favorite memory there? Do you have a special place you think of?
Some of my favorite memories from home were singing at my church, hanging out with friends at games, the 4th of July fireworks at Apple Valley in Lake Lure, and lots of time at my Granny’s house. My mom, Granny, and I traveled on fun day trips through the mountains quite often together. Recently, I’ve loved bringing my girls up to Hendersonville to the pumpkin patches and apple orchards and they loved Chimney Rock — particularly the Gem Mine on Main Street.
When the storm happened, how long did it take you to realize you needed to help?
I woke up Friday morning to a tornado warning here in Charleston and realized that the storm had already moved rapidly through NC. I realized very quickly how devastating this storm had been. I remember just sitting and staring at places I frequented as a kid and with my kids, and I couldn’t believe it was gone. I made a decision that following day to do something. I couldn’t sit still, watching my hometown hurting and not helping in some way.
What was your first thought?
I initially thought that a few people would donate, probably enough to fill my SUV with my two kids in it and we would head up together the following week to drop off everything. God had much bigger plans.
How did you start getting things together?
I made a Canva post, put my Venmo on there, and waited. On Sunday morning, I was inundated with phone calls, texts, and messages from all platforms wanting to help. Sunday evening we had friends over and I remember people showing up with things and was like, wow this is great . . . unaware of what Monday would bring.
What did you do to get the ball rolling?
I answered phone calls and returned messages! People just started pouring into my house on Monday and Tuesday. I attempted to homeschool the kids that Monday but then threw in the towel at 8:00 a.m. when our driveway was already filled with donations. The kids and I went to work on categorizing things into groups that made sense. My husband realized I would need more help, so he stayed home and we worked until around 8:00 p.m.
I reached out to my friend who had offered a van earlier (when I surely thought that was the last thing I’d need) and secured one for the following morning. Tuesday at 6:30 a.m. we picked up the van, filled it up, and took more donations for the entire day until church that evening. People in my neighborhood and from church stayed with me and helped. It was overwhelmingly good! I know God had already orchestrated all of this before I ever made that post.
Tuesday afternoon we were given another van, which we immediately filled the following morning. We then brought in a third and fourth, along with four trucks from friends, and our two SUVs packed down for Thursday’s trip.
How much money was raised and how many items did you take up?
We raised close to $15,000 and probably took over $100,000 worth of donations up with us. We had four Sprinter vans, two SUVs, and four trucks packed full of donations, gas, propane, and generators.
What have you seen is the biggest need?
Water, food, medical supplies (especially Benadryl due to all of the bees coming out of the ground), chainsaws, gas, and generators.
What did those in NC say when you got there?
The look on everyone’s face, when we showed up with trucks of supplies, will honestly make you want to cry. Everyone was so grateful. My parents helped store everything at my dad’s business so individuals, law enforcement, and organizations could come directly there and “shop” for their specific needs.
When we pulled up at the church donation site in Rutherfordton, everyone was so helpful. We worked together to unload trucks with donations, along with our own, and organize these goods for people in need.
A phrase I kept hearing was, “Thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus.” This solidified in my heart that we were doing the right thing. These people needed our help.
You gathered a second round of donations . . . how did that go?
We made so many connections the first week that I was able to “partner” with Adam who owns the Codfather Fish & Chips. He was running supplies up to a remote mountain town called Little Switzerland and I was able to fill a van for his next drive up. This saved us some time traveling while allowing us to get goods into the hands of people with even greater needs.
We also used monetary donations to get generators, chainsaws, and cooktops to several locations quicker than we could have from here.
What can people do right now to continue to help?
Number one is PRAY. Some of these people’s entire lives will be changed forever, whether through the loss of family or friends, the loss of all possessions, or both.
Number two is to continue to remember them weeks and months from now. For some, power won’t turn on for a couple more months (or more). It is getting colder in these higher elevations. As the weeks progress, the needs progress, so be willing to donate money or resources as you see people posting specific needs. For example, we plan to hold a toy drive closer to December because most of these children’s Christmases will not look the same this year. Anything to help them feel some sort of normalcy is important right now.
And of course, if you have the margin and availability, getting on the ground and volunteering in the coming weeks will be so needed when most of the relief teams start to leave.
What is your advice to people who want to help but don’t know what to do?
Praying is the best thing you can do, especially if you don’t have the means to give. But if you do have extra, monetary donations can be used faster and more efficiently. We know people on the ground in several areas of Western NC and can take specific needs, send money to them, and allow them to get things to these areas quicker than storing them here and driving them up.
While our physical donation drive has stopped for now, monetary donations will continue until we run out of funds to give!
Candace will continue posting about her drives, donations, and plans for the toy drive. You can follow her on Instagram at @cromptonchronicles.
“The people of NC are really incredible, resilient people who love with all their hearts and are willing to help where needed. Helene was devastating in a way that no one has seen in their lifetime there. It’s been incredible to watch communities pull together there but even more so, to watch all of you guys here love on people you’ve never even met. It brings so much joy to my heart to watch the generosity of people multiply just the way God had planned. Thank you for considering donating and helping these sweet people. You may never see where your donations go, but know they are going into the hands of those who need them the most.” — Candace Crompton
Check out more of our Moms to See in the 843 series by clicking on the image below!