Editor’s note: Pictures are worth a thousand words. The one above is in Harlem, where folks are waiting in line to get nourishment from the Cantina Food Truck. Those scenes are being played out across neighborhoods. Families still can’t get out of their driveway because of downed trees, others need ice to keep insulin cold for their diabetic family members. They are your neighbors. They are employees of businesses. They and we, are all trying to survive and put the devastation behind us. Today, there is some good news.
Financial donations are pouring in for families struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament, in partnership with the Community Foundation for the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA), has announced a joint $5 million donation towards the Hurricane Helene Community Crisis Fund, which will support local relief efforts in response to the devastating impact of the storm throughout the greater Augusta community. The donation is intended to provide immediate access to essential services and resources.
“I was in Augusta in the days immediately after the storm and have seen firsthand its devastating impact,” said Ridley. “Our employees, neighbors, friends, and business owners need, and deserve, immediate and meaningful assistance to overcome the hardships experienced throughout Augusta.”
“What I really have been most proud of is while everyone certainly is focused on getting us up, back and running, our employees have been so focused on the community at large,” Ridley said early Thursday morning, according to Golf Digest. “We’ve been able to take care of our employees, but we’ve also been focused on what the Red Cross and other organizations are doing in Augusta, and our employees have been a big part of that, which I think speaks for them, and the culture at Augusta National Golf Club.”
To donate to the Community Foundation’s Hurricane Helene Community Crisis Fund, visit: https://cfcsra.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=4168
Among the efforts led by the American Red Cross are a mobile feeding truck and associated recovery center, which is being staged at the HUB for Community Innovation, located at 631 Chaffee Avenue. The mobile feeding truck circulates through streets in the vicinity of the HUB for Community Innovation, where services including meals, water, laundry, showers, counseling services, and more are offered at no charge to residents.
For a map and listing of shelters in impacted areas: https://www.redcross.org/get-help/disaster-relief-and-recovery-services/find-an-open-shelter.html
The Salvation Army, First Step Staffing, Harrisburg Family Healthcare, and other community groups are also supporting the efforts at the recovery center.
All Middle Georgia stores and the following CSRA Goodwill stores are open, including Walton Way, Grovetown, Wrightsboro Road, Aiken, and North Augusta from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Goodwill stores have stocked essentials from batteries to candles, and charcoal.
For updates and more information, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/GoodwillWorks
AT&T has donated $300,000 to support communities affected by Helene and is also supporting its employees affected by the disaster and is matching 100% of employee relief contributions to select organizations.
Part of that contribution, $25,000, will go to Golden Harvest Food Bank which serves 25 counties in Georgia and South Carolina.
The Master’s Table run by the organization has reopened at 702 Fenwick Street across from the James Brown Arena. They are also operating some food drop locations.
For more information on their Pop-Up feeding operations, click on this link:
https://www.facebook.com/GoldenHarvestFoodBank
“In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, AT&T’s heart goes out to the affected communities,” said Venessa Harrison, President – Southeast Coastal States, AT&T. “We have thousands of team members across Helene’s path working to restore services in the communities where we live and work, and we are proud to support and work alongside these community organizations as they help rebuild.”
AT&T is also aiding the response and recovery efforts following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. The company has mobilized its Emergency Operations Center to provide round-the-clock support to all AT&T teams, ensuring they have the resources they need to restore vital connectivity to the affected areas.
The Masters Tournament will be played in 186 days. The tournament like no other brings in thousands of visitors with an economic impact of more than 120 million dollars to the CSRA. Although Ridley says the damage to Augusta National golf course was significant with downed trees and flooding at Rae’s Creek, “Work is continuing to get us back up and running. We will be back in business sooner rather than later and the Masters will be held as scheduled for April 10 – 13, 2025.”
Editor’s Note:
Mitzi Oxford is a veteran broadcaster and features writer who also worked at the same television station in Columbus, Georgia as Augusta’s Brad Means! If you have a South Carolina story idea for Mitzi, please email her at mitzioxfordcreative@gmail.com.
