In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which left Asheville, North Carolina, grappling with significant devastation, residents found a remarkable sense of community amidst hardship. With power outages, water shortages, and food rapidly spoiling, people like Erin Kellem stepped up to help one another. “Anyone in the neighborhood with a chainsaw came out to help clear the roads,” Kellem recounted. “When it became clear that restoring power would take a while, we all agreed to check our freezers and see what we could cook together.”
Kellem and her neighbors banded together, pooling their resources of wilting vegetables and thawed meats to prepare meals for each other. “Our neighbors had organized what they called a ‘freezer burn’ event, encouraging everyone to bring a grill or camp stove,” Taylor Aurilio shared, describing how an anticipated gathering of a dozen grew into a lively assembly of around 30. BBQ, Mexican, and Asian dishes filled the air with tantalizing aromas as everyone contributed to the feast.
Rachel Wingo, a social worker from West Asheville, highlighted the rich diversity of her neighborhood, comprising Russian, Spanish, and English-speaking families. “Before the storm, we often held potlucks together,” she said. “After the hurricane, it turned into an even bigger effort to help one another.” Neighbors checked in on each other, rushing to clear out freezers and using up what they could as a cold front loomed. Wingo managed to salvage a few items from her garden and recalled, “My garden was largely washed away in the floods, but what I had left turned into our first meal together.”
Though not a big meat eater, Wingo had received a subscription box from a local farmer, presenting her with more beef than she was used to. “I took it across the street to my Salvadoran neighbors, who turned it into carne asada. They explained the cooking method, ensuring it could last a couple of days without refrigeration. Suddenly, I had multiple days of carne asada.”
Community meals continued for many days in various neighborhoods. While Aurilio’s area had a bonfire, Kellem’s family enjoyed cookouts every night for a week. Wingo noted that even three weeks later, they still gather to cook for one another, despite power being restored. “We did all of this without spending a dime. We simply shared what we had,” she said, recalling her favorite meal at the home of Marty Gutierrez, who runs a local cake shop. Wingo described the gathering: “There was banana bread, grilled meats and veggies for tacos, and someone even fried nopales. It felt like everyone came together regardless of background, age, or language.”
Wingo reflected on how the experience fostered connections among neighbors, many of whom had never interacted before the storm. “Honestly, before this, I knew more of the dogs’ names in the neighborhood than their owners’,” she admitted with a laugh. “It took a hurricane and a prolonged power outage for us to bond as friends, even if just for a brief time.”
As they navigate the long road to recovery, one thing is clear: despite the challenges, a spirit of generosity and community resilience has emerged, transforming adversity into connection in Asheville.
