Project Helene Relief homes a haven amid the storm
These structures may look like sheds, but inside are small homes designed with living quarters, a place to sleep, plumbing facilities and space for those who lost their homes to Hurricane Helene this past fall.
When is a small one-room home like a mansion?
When it comes from people who give from the heart during the direst of circumstances.
Tiny homes built in Amish Country in Ohio and finished at Dudley Shoals Baptist Church in North Carolina have provided the basic necessities of shelter and working plumbing for families who had homes swept away from Hurricane Helene in late September of last year.
The mission to provide housing, aptly named Project Helene Relief, all began with one simple question: “How can we help?”
Immediately following the hurricane, Nick Pickrel, founder of Kingsway Services; Sheldon Coblentz; and several other people from Wayne and Holmes counties visited the people of North Carolina who had been devastated by the massive storm, taking some supplies down with them.
Having witnessed the horror story firsthand, a plan began to form, and one idea crystallized: Although it wouldn’t be possible to make a major impact for struggling families on a large level in building big homes, they could build small homes that would provide all the amenities of home for a temporary time to help get many families through.
“The loss was devastating, and we wanted to help,” Coblentz said. “It all kind of organically happened. We realized there were a lot of homes that were a total loss. There were people sleeping in cars.”
The original plan was to simply build three homes.
What happened was a simple plan found momentum, and three homes became 50, then 75, and all it took was a little confirmation.
Coblentz said he was talking to Les Miller, owner of 89 Homes.
“I asked Les, ‘How hard would it be to build small homes?’ Les never hesitated. He simply said, ‘Let’s do it,’” Coblentz said.
That was all Coblentz needed to hear, and the plan took flight.
An undertaking that huge would take plenty of hands, and they felt the most important thing would be the hands of God, so they turned to the church, to faith and to the kindness of people everywhere to implore them to give to the outreach ministry.
“I think people’s faith had 100% to do with this vision and pulling it off,” Coblentz said. “At every turn God opened another door, and all we had to do was steer through it and follow through.”
Thanks to Pickrel’s spot on Fox News, Project Helene Relief spread quickly across the nation, and donations began pouring in from coast to coast.
“People and businesses from all over the nation began sending in donations, and we ended up with close to three-quarters of a million dollars in donations,” said Josh Troyer, who helped on the marketing side of the mission.
Once the funds were in place, the project relied on the knowledge and steady hands of many area builders throughout Wayne and Holmes counties, and much like the donors, they came through in a major way.
Professionals from Nuhaus, Millcraft Barns, Alpine Structures and others built the shells of the small homes that would eventually include a sleeping area, a small kitchenette, and even indoor plumbing that provided a sink, shower, toilet and hot water. Triple H Plumbing connected the indoor plumbing in each home, and once the houses were completed, each home was transported down south.
“As soon as people learned about what we were doing, they were eager to help any way they could,” Coblentz said, noting the Amish community was instrumental in providing much of the work.
The local organization connected with several entities in South Carolina including Dudley Shoals Baptist and Wine to Water, and volunteers there completed the venture by outfitting each home with sundries and food.
Pickrel said they began the mission with the idea of building three homes, but once word traveled, the project took off, resulting in 65 homes being built and shipped to families who could never express enough gratitude to the many hands who gave them shelter following such a tragedy.
Coblentz said while he is in awe of the way God used people here to make the mission a success, he is even more inspired by the people whose lives were forever altered by the storm.
“Those people are some of the most resilient, warmest people I’ve ever met,” Coblentz said.
Troyer said as donations came in, some were from major businesses that wanted to help and gave generously. However, many more came in small donations at a time from people who gave what they could, which served to encourage and inspire those who were investing in the project.
“People were calling in and saying, ‘I don’t have much to give, but I want to give and I’m praying for you and for the people there.’ That provided such great hope and lifted our spirits in our efforts,” Troyer said.
Each home provided families with a warm, safe haven to help get them through this terrible time.
And on each home a placard was placed, made by Heritage Signs, that read, “Donated in the name of Jesus,” something Troyer said is a message of hope shared by both the givers and the recipients.