On Monday, members from a Charlotte ministry took gifts to children in Swannanoa, a community in western North Carolina heavily impacted by Hurricane Helene.
West Blvd Ministry in Charlotte arrived with a 20-foot U-Haul truck full of donations it had collected to ensure each child at W.D. Williams Elementary received presents. Some families in the area lost their homes and are struggling to get by during the holidays.
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Amanda Son and her three children are currently living in a donated RV after their home was destroyed by flooding from Helene. She’s thankful for organizations like West Blvd Ministry for providing presents for children at the school.
“If it wasn’t for the community and people coming in, I don’t think our family would have made it through everything,” she said. “It’s a beautiful thing. When I walked in and saw what was happening, I was a little shocked. It’s wonderful that they’re able to do that.”
The ministry says it collected donations from people across Charlotte to purchase enough gifts for the more than 400 children at the school.