DeKalb County residents rally to help Hurricane Helene victims

SYCAMORE – A trailer load of potentially lifesaving supplies is expected to arrive in Asheville, North Carolina, this month thanks to the donations and charitable efforts of DeKalb County residents.

Social media posts this week from the Sycamore Police Department, Sycamore Community School District 427 and the Genoa Park District called on the community to donate water, diapers, formula, pet food, shelf-stable food and other items meant to support people affected by the devastation that Hurricane Helene left in its wake in the southern Appalachian Mountains.

Valesia Best of Cortland dropped off a couple of boxes of supplies Monday at the Sycamore City Center, 308 W. State St., one of several drop-off sites organizers chose.

Best said she wanted to do what she could.

“I just want to help people out,” Best said. “I feel like I’ve been blessed, [and] I want to help other people. I can’t imagine what they’re going through, losing their homes, losing their families, people everywhere, body bags everywhere.”

The storm made landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, but the storm’s largest effects were felt in the southern Appalachian Mountains, according to the National Weather Service.

The hurricane’s death toll rose to 227 on Saturday, according to The Associated Press. ABC News reported that the number rose above 230 by Wednesday.

Across North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, at least 527 landslides occurred as a result of Hurricane Helene, according to a landslide observations dashboard created by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Best said that aside from seasonal tornadoes, she thinks DeKalb County has been blessed with less extreme weather than what often makes national headlines.

“We don’t have hardly any issues here,” Best said. “We’ve been so blessed, so I’m like, ‘Pass it along, and help people who are in need.’ That’s what we’re here for – to help others.”

Sycamore Police Sgt. Stacy Binkowski, who works as the department’s community resource officer, said Sycamore police aren’t behind the charitable efforts but were happy to help when asked. She said a friend of hers reached out to see whether the police department would be willing to help ask the community for donations.

“Honestly, our role is small,” Binkowski said. “We’re really just trying to get the word out there and the information out there, and help out where we can. But this gal, I know her from the community. We partnered with a local business, and they wanted to fill a 53-foot semitrailer with goods that will be directly going to people impacted by the hurricane in the Asheville, North Carolina, area.”

Binkowski said her friend, Jamie O’Brien, wanted to help the people of North Carolina and felt confident that DeKalb County would rise to the occasion.

O’Brien could not be reached for comment for this story.

Alongside the calls for supplies from local officials on social media has been an Amazon wishlist filled with items that could help storm victims. Binkowski said supporters were welcome to send items from that wishlist to Upstaging, 821 Park Ave., Sycamore.

O’Brien is the transportation director for Upstaging, a Sycamore-based production services company that has produced shows across the country.

Binkowski said O’Brien has direct contacts in North Carolina and facilitated getting supplies to Asheville.

Binkowski said it’s wonderful and exciting to see the community’s support for the initiative.

“There’s a lot of people that have gone on the Amazon list and have purchased and donated, which has been just phenomenal because I know that a lot of deliveries have already been delivered,” Binkowski said. “We’re just really excited to see how the week unfolds, and we hope we have this trailer full by the end of the week and heading on its way out East.”

Best said she’s prayed every day for those affected by the hurricane.

“I’m a Christian, and I feel like I like to pass it forward and be God’s hands and feet,” Best said. “We’re called to help others.”

Although O’Brien and Upstaging could not be reached for comment on their hurricane relief efforts, Binkowski said the story is “not about them.”

“They want to do good stuff, and they want to get things to people – the same thing that we would hope if we had a travesty here,” Binkowski said. “There’s so many good people here. We know that in our country that’s one of the best parts about being here, is that people will help each other out.”