Helene Heroes

PHOTOGRAPHER:

Issue:

03/2025

Ponkho Bermejo drops off food at one of BeLoved Asheville’s Street Pantries

Vickie Cook (left) has dedicated many years to the Big Ivy Community Center in Barnardsville. She and other volunteers have mobilized to meet their community’s needs following devastating storm damage.

Lance Buskey, along with two friends, formed Helene Rebuild Collaborative following the storm.

Jamie McDonald, owner of Bear’s Smokehouse, coordinated with the restaurant’s Asheville team and World Central Kitchen to bring immediate aid to WNC.

On October 22, the city of Asheville held a candlelight vigil to honor the people and businesses impacted by the storm.

Ponkho Bermejo has worked as co-director of BeLoved Asheville since 2013. He got to know other leaders in the organization through music; their shared passion for intentional community sparked their collaborative efforts for the organization.

They collected RVs and trailers for families who lost their homes.

BeLoved distributed space heaters during the winter months that saw temperatures in the single digits this season.

Vickie Cook

Barnardsville’s location along small rivers and creeks made it a prime spot for storm damage.

Volunteers at the Big Ivy Community Center handed out everything from laundry detergentand diapers to food and water to the community.

Jamie McDonald, Andrew Tasillo, Jack Andres, Willow Caristo.

World Central Kitchen partnered with Bear’s Smokehouse to distribute hot meals to people in need almost immediately after the storm.

Bear’s Smokehouse, with the help of World Central Kitchen, distributed homemade barbecue dishes after the storm, made using non-electric cookware like the wood-fired oven that the restaurant uses.

Lance Buskey stands with a local family,

From left to right: Cooper Leist, Lance Buskey, and Sam Iatarola, cofounders of Helene Rebuild Collaborative, in front of their warehouse space.

HRC collected lots of donations of nonperishable food, water, laundry detergent, toilet paper, and other basic supplies for those in need. They also organized cleanups of different locations full of debris and damage.

RESOURCES:

Photographs (sunset) by digidreamgrafix/SHUTTERSTOCK; (opposite page, top-left) courtesy of BeLoved Asheville; (opposite page, bottom-right) courtesy of Bear's Smokehouse; all others by Michael Oppenheim; photographs (flood) courtesy of Lance Buskey; (rad) by Allison Sherman; (trees) by Michael Oppenheim; photographs (portrait, construction, tent) by Michael Oppenheim; all others courtesy of BeLoved Asheville; photographs (opposite page, top-right & center-right) courtesy of Big Ivy Community center; photographs (sign, tent) by Michael Oppenheim, all others courtesy of Bear's Smokehouse; photographs (family, group) by Michael Oppenheim; all others courtesy of Helene Rebuild Collaborative

ISSUE DATE:

Spring 2025

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Helene Heroes

Helene Heroes

Helene Heroes