When Hurricane Helene struck Western North Carolina in late September 2024, the 1/9 community stepped up the way it always does. Caitlyn and Alex Hunt, who grew up in the area and still have family there, reached out to the Association for help. Within days, members from across the country were taking action.
How we came together
- September 29: We checked in with members in the storm’s path and offered help.
- October 3: The Association sent an initial $1,000 from its own funds.
- October 4: We opened the relief campaign to all members, and you answered with $1,500 in the first 24 hours.
- Through October: We sent funds to the Hunts in stages so they could put them where the need was greatest, focusing on the remote communities around Asheville.
What you gave
24 donors gave a total of $8,700. That includes $3,700 from 23 gifts and a $5,000 gift from Association Lifetime Member Bob Syler, which arrived as the campaign closed. More than $3,600 went to Western North Carolina, and the $5,000 is retained for future humanitarian aid.
What it did
The Hunts and their family on the ground turned those donations into immediate help for family and friends with newborn babies, and roughly 100 care packages for people who lost everything.
We are so proud and thankful to be part of a family that truly pulls together to help those in need.
— The Hunt family
Thank you
To the Hunt family: thank you for bringing this need to us, coordinating the effort, and making sure the help reached the people who needed it most. This effort happened because of you.
To the 1/9 community: thank you for stepping up. Whether you gave, spread the word, or kept these families in your thoughts, you showed what the Walking Dead has always been about. We care for our own and for the communities around us, and we take action when it counts.