We might be a small pebble amongst many large rocks, but we skipped with great force across a large pond, thanks to our region's support from individuals and businesses. The ripples we created were quite large, and who knows how much more they will grow over the next several weeks, thanks to the amount we were able to donate. We started the toy drive campaign in hopes of raising $2,500, and we ended up raising, to date (Oct 6, 2024) $3,500 in cash, check donations, and PayPal donations for Hurricane Helene relief.
We had $200 in cash donated, so with that, we started our campaign and went to Walmart, and we got a very humble start. We quickly realized how expensive toys were and ramped our efforts up into overdrive. We had Boxes of toys delivered the next day from Frontier Health team members. You might be wondering why they are team members; I (Joshua Moore) am also the Sr Director of Communications and Public Relations at Frontier Health. Frontier Health is full of caring, compassionate people. When word started going around about what we were doing here at Appalachian Roots, they were among the first to start helping.
The boxes of toys Frontier Health team members donated were gathered and added to the toys we had bought with cash donations. The toys were added to a truck that our good friend, Robby Kilgore, was putting together to be delivered to Chimney Rock, NC. Chimney Rock was utterly devastated; it appeared as if nothing was left. We knew this was the right place, and trust us, it was the right person to deliver these. After Robby delivered supplies to his community from the Rock Springs area of Kingsport, TN, he told us about some kids who saw the delivery. He said they were so excited to see them. They felt noticed, and that's really what this was all about. Making sure the kids knew that there was hope.
While a toy may seem like a small thing, it can mean the world to a child who has lost everything. Imagine being in their shoes, turning your life upside down, and receiving a simple toy that brings a sense of normalcy and comfort. Yes, essentials like clean water, food, and shelter are crucial, but so is helping these children feel a sense of normalcy in the midst of chaos. There needs to be someone to fill this gap, and after seeing that this was a need not being met, we felt that we would do our best to help this way.
After a week of telling everyone about the campaign and pushing it to anyone who would listen, we maxed out our $2,500 PayPal campaign. With that, we went straight to Walmart's toy aisle. We wanted to give the kids new toys that would be a bit special. We piled two buggies full of toys, unsure of the cost, but a great starting point. We tried to cover all ages and get toys that did not require batteries. The few toys we purchased that had batteries could still be played with, like toy cars and animals, even after the batteries had expired. The cashier at the Allandale Walmart in Kingsport, TN eyes got large when we pulled up, and she knew this would take a little bit to get through.
The second round of toys cost roughly $1,200. We loaded this round of toys into two large bins in the back of our car and made our way toward Erwin, TN, one of Tennessee's most significant hit areas. We had word that most shelters were empty, so we dropped these toys off at Faith Baptist Church, where they were excited to receive them. After dropping this round of toys off, we set off to do another round, our largest round. We pulled into the Johnson City Walmart, grabbed another two buggies, and went straight for the toy aisle again. We packed the lower portions of the buggies this time and had to hold on to the tall pile as we made our way to check out.
This time, due to their system, we were forced to check out when we went over $1,200. We paid for this and had just over another $200, pushing us near $1,500. After a half hour of checking out and another half hour of squishing everything into the car, we set out to help another rural area, Roan Mountain. We pulled into Lower Shell Creek Christian Church and unloaded this round of toys into their sanctuary. They will also be going into North Carolina, so this larger set of toy donations will ripple through many communities surrounding the Roan Mountain community.
We are still waiting on a $425 check to come in, so we will do a smaller toy run with that and combine it with donations we are receiving from CVS Pharmacy in Colonial Heights, TN. After hearing about what we were doing, CVS put out a barrel they typically use during Christmas to help garner donations for the cause. We purchased some toys separately, that will be given out to families we heard about independently.
We would like to reiterate that we would not have been able to do this without the support we received from everyone who donated or shared our posts. To quote the Lorlax by Dr Seus, "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."
THANK YOU!
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