NAZARETH, Pa. — A Lehigh Valley philanthropic organization is reaching out beyond the region to help hurricane victims still struggling in North Carolina.
And it could use a bit of help from the community.
The Every Ribbon Counts Foundation, which has been fundamental in cancer support throughout the area for years, has made a point to offer extra help in the wake of hurricane season with Operation Hope Trek.
Providing vital resources is the name of the game for Every Ribbon Counts, Coordinator and Community Director Susan Mattes Bostian said.
“I’m trying to get my community and the Lehigh Valley engaged. Let’s go guys, come on! There’s so much more we all could do!”Every Ribbon Counts Coordinator and Community Director, Susan Mattes Bostian
Bostian stressed the need for assistance to victims of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.
While many people rushed to offer donations and aid to victims of the disaster, the need to resupply people in need for everyday life in the wake of the hurricane remains, she said.
Just last week, Bostian said, her group took 20 275-gallon water totes to Marion County, North Carolina, “because most people don’t have wells, or their wells collapsed.”
And while that contribution will make a significant impact for the residents in need, continuous runs for everyday items are vital.
“In the coming week, our big priority is to raise funds and to gather supplies for our next Operation Hope trek, which are hurricane relief trips to North Carolina that we've been running ever since Hurricane Helene devastated the area,” Bostian said.
“We do everything from bringing much needed supplies to all of the distribution centers that are in North Carolina, to providing food, water, and drinks.
"We've been buying tents, sleeping bags, blankets, anything that they are specifically requesting. We try to find all of our contacts, or make contacts and gather those supplies, and ask for donations from the community.
"We pack trucks, trailers, flatbeds, and we haul everything down to North Carolina to their distribution centers.”
'People have forgotten'
Bostian said the group has been involved in hurricane relief since Hurricane Ian in 2022, when she learned about how to help communities affected by such events.
She said she learned about support, supply runs, transportation and distribution logistics, and took off, conducting runs to Sanibel and Fort Myers.
“They don’t know that in Spruce Pine, there’s 537 families still living in tents, and they don’t have electric and they don’t have water.”Every Ribbon Counts Coordinator and Community Director, Susan Mattes Bostian
Asked why her organization provides assistance to places such as Florida and North Carolina, Bostian said it comes down to the fact that most government agencies and philanthropic entities are tapped out.
“But up here, literally most people have forgotten about the hurricane,” Bostian said.
“They don’t know that in Spruce Pine, there’s 537 families still living in tents, and they don’t have electric and they don’t have water.”
Bostian said a substantial amount of federal funding has been redirected to help hurricane victims, but there is very little left to go around.
Currently, Every Ribbon Counts aims to collect anything it can to fortify devastated counties in North Carolina. It will try to pack it all up by Dec. 10 and hit the road on Dec. 13.
'The needs change daily'
In light of the winter setting in, priority items include heaters, dehumidifiers, outdoor extension cords, new tents, new sleeping bags, new blankets, chain saws, construction tools and construction-grade trash bags.
Bostian encourages those interested in helping to check her website’s downloadable needs list, which is updated daily.
'Literally, the stuff that has come in goes right out to another nonprofit or somebody that needs it.”Every Ribbon Counts Coordinator and Community Director, Susan Mattes Bostian
“We’re working with three distribution centers, and the needs change daily, as you can imagine,” Bostian said.
“In two counties, they’re building tiny homes. So now, because the tiny homes are getting built and people are moving in, we’re needing things like electrical outlets, extension cords, and such, because we’re running on generators.”
It’s particularly important to get those supplies down as quick as possible, Bostian said, as several areas are not expected to have electricity back in order until March.
Even if you have something that may not travel well — or isn’t necessarily needed at the moment in North Carolina — Bostian said she can always find an organization locally that could use the help.
“I’ve been giving stuff to the Bath food bank, the Nazareth food bank, New Bethany Ministries, VALOR, they help the homeless,” Bostian said.
“Stuff that we have received that we cannot take, I have that list. I’ll ask them, ‘Do you need toothpaste? Do you need body wash? Do you need ABCD?'
"And literally, the stuff that has come in goes right out to another nonprofit or somebody that needs it.”
'Let's go guys, come on!'
Simultaneously, Bostian and her crew plan supply runs and partnerships so that come spring, children in North Carolina can have access to outdoor activities and sports, maintaining a little bit of childhood for them.
“So we’re going to be trying to find other sports teams up here who would like to sponsor a team, and at least be able to bring something back in the spring for these kids who have nothing,” Bostian said.
Bostian said she encourages everyone in the Lehigh Valley to take some time over the holidays and consider how just a small contribution could help make someone’s life so much better.
“I’m trying to get my community and the Lehigh Valley engaged," she said. "Let’s go guys, come on! There’s so much more we all could do."
