Bands of heavy rainfall from Hurricane Helene fell across Western North Carolina, causing unprecedented flooding and landslides. Small rural areas like Yancey and Mitchell counties were left devastated, without access or communication for several days after the storm.

A longtime group chat between childhood friends evolves into a communication hub - as the seven of us gathered information about our hometown and our loved ones, and the foundation of Mountain Strong is formed.

We created a GoFundMe page to raise money quickly to start getting supplies back to our hometowns. What starts as a $5,000 goal is met within hours. We’ll go on to raise over $150,000 through that fundraiser as we formalize our operations.

Mountain Strong received our 501c(3) status in November of that year.

Mountain Strong raises over $100,000 and uses that money to bring in thousands of medical supplies, units of food, water, baby supplies and more. We offer direct financial assistance to those struggling and procure vehicles for those without.
Executive Director Carol Tyner staffs the field hospital set up at the Yancey County Fire Department, taking shifts alongside other volunteer medical personnel to ensure every community member receives the care they need.

As women who grew up in these counties, we also put an emphasis on ensuring our neighbors received some extra joy and love during the first holiday season after the storm. We participated in the town’s Trunk or Treat, giving out costumes and partnering with a local food truck to provide meals to attendees.

We co-hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for members of the community in November.

In December, we hosted our first Toy Drive, donating over 3,000 toys to help ease the financial burden for families while ensuring the children in our community got to experience joy and hope after the storm. We also partnered with the Toe River Children’s Advocacy Center to buy wishlist items for families who had lost everything due to Helene.

In early 2025, Mountain Strong focused on long-term recovery. We continued offering direct financial support to neighbors in need, and secured funding specifically for roadway and access point repair, as many in our community were dealing with washed out bridges and driveways.

Mountain Strong launched the Move Mountains Scholarship and awarded $5,000 each to two graduating seniors in Yancey and Mitchell county. Mountain Strong is proud to be able to offer this scholarship again in 2026.

Mountain Strong hosted our first fundraiser, the Mountain Strong Mini Classic, the weekend before the anniversary of the storm. We raised over $35,000 that day, which allowed us to secure a lease for the Mountain Strong Free Clinic for one year + more.

In the Winter, we partnered with the Toe River Children’s Advocacy Center to create a Giving Tree, offering families and children in foster care an opportunity to receive extra support over the holidays. We also hosted our second Toy Drive, and gave away over 5,000 toys to community members.

Mountain Strong has been focused on opening the Mountain Strong Free Clinic. We’ve been building out processes, procedures and programming in partnership with other local healthcare advocates and providers across the two counties we serve. We’ve been working on the operational logistics of opening a clinic, like securing technology, office supplies and medical supplies that will allow us to meet the needs of our patients when we reopen.

Mountain Strong also had the opportunity to connect with a Master’s of Landscape Architecture program through NC State University, and we’ve partnered with them throughout the Spring semseter to help bring a vision for a “Rememory project” to life.