It’s been over a month since our Western North Carolina region was hit by Hurricane Helene, a catastrophic storm that caused loss and damage far exceeding any predictions. People died, and some are still unaccounted for; homes and entire streets were washed away; businesses flooded and were destroyed.
For many of us in the Campaign for Southern Equality (CSE) community– our staff, board members, supporters, and volunteers – that has meant a month of being in crisis.
In the hours and days immediately following the flood, this meant driving to parking lots rumored to have a few bars of cell service to make short, staticky calls to team members in other states and ask them to start a phone tree to check in on everyone in the storm’s path; it meant long hours of waiting for updates about people’s safety, in some cases hiking to each other’s houses to check in. It meant strangers showing up in the front yard having driven through the night from Raleigh with a generator. It meant sirens day and night as search and rescue efforts continued and word came that all the major roads into Asheville were out. It meant starting to hear the stories of those who died in the storm. It meant hearing things like “that place is just gone. Gone.” In a small community like ours, so many lives are connected, and these stories touch almost everyone. In one way or another, everyone is feeling the shock and trauma of this.
As the days passed and our team figured out the mechanics of living without power and water, we turned towards supporting the ongoing efforts so many in our community were leading to recover missing folks and get resources to those who had lost everything to the storm. This meant working with Buncombe County to check in on folks reported missing, volunteering with amazing organizations like World Central Kitchen and BeLoved Asheville to get meals and supplies like insulin, diapers and glucometers to people in shelters and in areas with barely passable roads. It meant running a camp kitchen off a front porch in Piedmont, SC, to feed neighbors who’d lost their homes.
In the midst of this work, we knew the next step would be doing what we have always done when our people are in crisis: figuring out how we could use our resources and platform to respond to our community. When natural disasters occur, LGBTQ+ folks can be impacted in compounding ways – because relief institutions and processes may not be built with our needs in mind, and past experiences can lead to reticence seeking help from frontline relief institutions. We knew that many in our queer community were unable to get into their homes, had lost their jobs, and were struggling to get in touch with their therapists or doctors due to reduced access to power, wifi, and cell service. Trans community members reported particular challenges of feeling heightened gender dysphoria because of the hurdles to getting in to see their regular doctor, washing gender-affirming clothing, and more.
That’s why our staff came together to create CSE’s LGBTQ+ Resource and Supply Center. Based out of our Asheville office, which is located in a downtown church building, the center is a space open every Thursday from 11:00 AM -5:00 PM. It’s a place where LGBTQ+ and allied community members can access not only basic supplies like food, clothing, blankets, and propane, but also things we know our queer and trans community needs right now – like gender-affirming clothing, chest binders, and make-up.
Last Thursday was a really special day at the center, because in addition to our regular offerings, we had an amazing lunch, gender-affirming haircuts, and chair massages– all for free. For a community that has been struggling to survive– these comforts were deeply needed and appreciated. More than 90 folks showed up and at times, the line of waiting cars wrapped around the church building. Families with young kids, folks who have been with CSE from day one, new friends who came for the food and haircuts – it meant so much to all of us to create this community together.
Chef J. Chong, a member of our board and the owner of J Chong Eats here in Asheville, cooked up an incredible meal for our folks. When asked about what serving food at the center meant to her, Chong said “it’s important for us to have gatherings like this, especially during a time like this, because food is so nourishing and food brings all of us together. So, I’m just excited to be here and be able to just provide a hot meal for everyone.”
Holiday Simmons, CSE’s Director of Healing and Resilience, provided chair massages for folks. Holiday, who has dedicated his life to healing bodies and minds through practices like breathwork and massage, noticed that the sense of community and togetherness at the center was just as powerful and healing as the tangible offerings, saying: “Of course, folks need all of these resources—the tangible ones, like food for our bodies and massage. But more than that, we need the togetherness, the camaraderie, the storytelling, the laughter. And it’s been a great space.”
Gender-affirming haircuts from two local queer stylists, Crain of Trust Studio Co. and Eric Gold of The Local Barber and Tap were an incredibly popular offering, as many folks had not been able to get their hair cut since the storm hit. Crain and Eric stayed busy all day, cutting hair nonstop the entire time they were with us. Crain shared that:
“What brought me here is, honestly, my commitment to my community. Our community—the queer community in Western North Carolina. It’s the most important thing in the world to me. My community has kept me alive for over 18 years. So, every day that we get to help anyone in our community feel even a little better about themselves, that’s just a day really well-lived for me. Right now, being able to provide even the smallest of creature comforts—it feels as good for me as it does for everyone who gets a haircut. But it’s in no way totally altruistic. I need to be with my community, and I need normalcy, just like everybody else does.”
Community, comfort, and normalcy– as Crain says, are really what we are trying to bring to our folks in the midst of this crisis. We couldn’t be more grateful for the volunteers and team members who helped make last week’s event possible, and we look forward to continuing to create this space each Thursday. We’ve also been assembling supplies for our local frontline partners to distribute specifically to LGBTQ+ folks in need, and we’re honored to be partnering with a number of local queer-led and queer-inclusive organizations like Blue Ridge Pride and Tranzmission to coordinate broader relief efforts. We now have a weekly schedule (see below) for resource and supply spaces to help folks get support on a schedule that works for them, and are exploring more ways to expand our impact together.
We’re going to keep doing this until we see that our community’s needs are shifting– and then we will shift in turn to meet those needs. In these next few weeks, as we all experience the election together, we know being in community is going to be incredibly important. If you’re in or near Western NC, we hope you’ll join us – for supplies, a haircut, a hot meal, fresh coffee, or just time together in a place where you are known and where you feel connection and belonging.
We also need your help, if you are able. Please take a moment to make a donation – whether it’s $1, $10 or $25 – to support CSE’s Resource and Supply Center. Your donation will go directly towards our efforts to support LGBTQ+ folks in Western North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Click here to donate.
Weekly Calendar of LGBTQ+ Resource Centers & Community Spaces
Hosted by Blue Ridge Pride, Campaign for Southern Equality, and Tranzmission
Mondays
Blue Ridge Pride Resource Center, 2 – 6 PM
1330 Patton Avenue, Suite A
Food, baby supplies, hygiene supplies, pet food, cold weather items, apply for direct financial assistance
Tuesdays
Tranzmission Resource Center, 4 – 6 PM
Food pantry, household items, clothing closet, and application for microgrants
Email info@tranzmission.org for location
Wednesdays
Blue Ridge Pride Resource Center, 12 – 4 PM
1330 Patton Avenue, Suite A, Asheville
Food, baby supplies, hygiene supplies, pet food, cold weather items, apply for direct financial assistance
Thursdays
Campaign for Southern Equality Supply & Resource Center, 11 AM – 5 PM
20 Oak Street, Asheville (downtown)
CSE’s Supply & Resource Center will be open Thursday 10/31 from 11am – 5pm. Come on by for free health, wellness and hygiene supplies (binders, menstrual products, make up, dental products, etc) and cold weather gear (coats, hats, socks) and supplies (heaters and propane tanks – bring your empty 1 lb tank to refill or pick up a new one). Plus, as always, hot coffee and Leila’s Lattes, good music, and queer community all day. See below for our 10/31 schedule of additional offerings:
- 11am – 5pm: Chair Massages by Travis Bekina, massage therapist
- 12 – 3pm: Hot Lunch with Chef J. Chong
- 1pm and 3pm: Basic Disaster Preparedness Workshops, led by Allison Scott, CSE
- 1 – 5pm: Pop Up Salon & Barber Shop with Crain, Trust Studios, queer stylist and barber (1-4pm); and Vanu, Dream House Hair Studio, queer stylist and barber (2-5pm)
Tranzmission Resource Center, 4 – 6 PM
Food pantry, household items, clothing closet, and application for microgrants
Email info@tranzmission.org for location
Fridays
Tranzmission Resource Center, 4 – 6 PM
Food pantry, household items, clothing closet, and application for microgrants
Email info@tranzmission.org for location
Saturdays
Tranzmission Resource Center, 4 – 6 PM
Food pantry, household items, clothing closet, and application for microgrants
Email info@tranzmission.org for location
LGBTQ+ Inclusive Resource Centers
BeLoved Relief Center
32 Old Charlotte Highway
Food, baby supplies, health, hygiene and wellness supplies, household items, clothing
Monday-Saturday, 9 AM – 4:30 PM
Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church Relief Center
789 Merrimon Avenue, Asheville, 28804
Food, baby supplies, health, hygiene, and wellness supplies, household items, resource navigation
Seven days a week; 12 – 4 PM
