Hurricane Helene:

The hurricane caused so much devastation in North Carolina, as well as parts of South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. People’s lives have been completely turned upside down. They need basic provisions, such as food, water, power, and housing.

We are partnering with Dharma centers, especially Southern Dharma Retreat Center, in North Carolina to distribute goods and financial support. Southern Dharma Retreat Center has taken the lead in distributing food and water, generators, and other key essential supplies to the people in that area. The cost that they have been spending on needed supplies averages to $1,500 to $2,000 per day, but they have spent up to $15,000 a day for generators for local communities.

We aim to partner with local Dharma Centers as satellites to distribute supplies to their communities. Among the centers we are reaching out or are in contact with are Southern Dharma, Zen Center of Asheville (ZCA), Mountain Mindfulness Society (for Heartwood Refuge & Academy), Great Tree Zen Center, and Windhorse Zen Center. There may be others that need support, and if you are aware of a center in NC, SC, TN, GA, or FL that needs or can provide assistance, please let us know.

Our short-term immediate goal is to raise $50,000 to support those affected by Hurricane Helene. This should provide about one month’s worth of steady support to the communities around Asheville. Your donation will provide for immediate material needs (e.g., generators, propane, gas, food, water, and other supplies) for those in need in that community.

We want to support as many people in need as possible. If you are with a Dharma center in any of the affected areas and can partner with us to distribute supplies, please contact us.

Those of you outside the affected areas, please give what you can so that we can raise enough money to support those who have lost everything.

Our long-term goal is to raise sufficient funds so that when any disaster strikes, we can immediately provide support to affected Dharma centers. We are acutely aware of our collective vulnerability to extreme weather and disasters. Any of us could be affected at any time by earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, or other unexpected events. We must come together to support those in need.