Donors help Catholic Charities ‘rebuild lives’

Maria Elena Figueroa Luna works for Catholic Charities, helping others impacted by Helene like those enjoying a baseball game at the restored Black Mountain Veteran’s Park.CHARLOTTE — Catholic Charities remains on point for the Diocese of Charlotte’s Helene relief efforts in Western North Carolina – its largest-ever humanitarian effort, with boots on the ground and money flowing in to help rebuild lives.

Donors around the world have contributed more than $12.3 million to Catholic Charities’ Helene Relief Fund, with a gift of $241,000 arriving just this week.

“We were ground zero,” says Maria Elena Figueroa Luna, whose family’s seven-bay auto repair shop along the Swannanoa River was left in ruins. “We were ready for rain, but nobody expected anything like this.”

Out of work after the storm, Figueroa joined Catholic Charities’ staff – rebooting her life and working as a disaster case manager to help others who also have lost livelihoods and loved ones.

She connects people to resources and builds community among survivors. Just last week, she served up more than 50 pizzas at a party sponsored by Catholic Charities during a youth baseball tournament for children impacted by the storm, held at restored fields at Black Mountain Veteran’s Park.

“It hurts my heart to see everybody in such a bad situation,” says Figueroa, a mother of three. “What has been wonderful is seeing the community united as one like a community should be.”

Catholic Charities’ work began the day the storm hit Sept. 27, 2024, when the agency partnered with the diocese’s central office and ministries to buy and deliver food, water and other supplies to its mountain churches for distribution to anyone in need. By November, the agency shifted toward also identifying needs and managing cases to help people navigate complex systems and get the resources they need.

Over the six months since the storm, the agency has served 1,162 households, not including several thousand people who arrived at drive-up sites for supplies. So far, Catholic Charities has:

Spent $2 million on providing basics including food, shelter, rent, utilities and emergency supplies, and rehabilitating 53 homes – including 25 mobile homes in a Swannanoa neighborhood flooded in the storm. (Read the story)
Committed $3.1 million for managing cases and repairing or replacing another 50 homes in Black Mountain.
Earmarked $5 million for longer term support through mental health services, employment assistance, financial aid, and help for small businesses to reopen. This funding will help with the rehabilitation of another 150 homes, using long-term recovery groups to find underserved areas and prioritize projects.
Reserved $2.2 million for future needs.

“The generosity and collaboration we’ve seen is both heartwarming and astounding,” says Catholic Charities Executive Director and CEO Gerry Carter. “We are continuing to provide supplies and case management services, and are looking now for small pockets that may have received little or no relief and where we can bring the most impact.”

One family Catholic Charities is assisting is Gerardo and Jazmin Gutierrez.

They escaped from rising flood waters in their home in Swannanoa, with Gerardo Gutierrez carrying his two infant daughters to safety, then going back for his pug “Jojo,” who was swimming inside the home waiting to be rescued. Their house on old Highway 70 sustained so much damage that it was condemned and torn down. The couple now is struggling to pay rent on a temporary residence plus their mortgage on a property that now is nothing more than a mud flat. They’re having trouble getting building permits because a surprise underground water source has been found on their property.

“It’s hard. With two children, it’s double hard,” says Gutierrez, an auto mechanic. “But my family – my wife, my children – keep me strong. There’s a reason to keep strong.”
Director Carter says Catholic Charities is also “building bridges” to increase its impact by partnering with other community organizations with a track record of getting results. The agency worked closely with CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) on the mobile home park rehabilitation, in a collaboration that is continuing.

In giving assistance, Carter says Catholic Charities prioritizes: people in dire circumstances; referrals from pastors and parishes; people not covered or insufficiently aided by FEMA and other government services; people who can’t afford to recover adequately; those with unmet needs identified across an array of referral agencies; and business replacement or startup opportunities.

In a letter to Catholic Charities’ donors, he expressed gratitude: “Thank you for standing with our neighbors and living out the gospel call to serve. Your love is rebuilding lives and restoring communities.”

— Liz Chandler. Christina Lee Knauss contributed.

By the numbers

$12.3 million raised*

From
$4,942,417: Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte
$2,775,000: Catholic Charities USA
$1,521,585: Other arch/dioceses
$998,659: Our diocese second collections
$787,334: Local individuals and groups
$650,000: Golden Leaf Foundation
$500,000: Anonymous donor
$100,000: Sisters of Mercy