One year after Hurricane Helene, Midlands church and local organization continue relief efforts

POMARIA, S.C. (WIS) -One year after Hurricane Helene tore through the Carolinas, a Midlands church and local organization are still working to help those impacted by the storm.

St. Paul Lutheran Church in Pomaria became a central hub for disaster relief in the days following Helene’s landfall. Supplies poured in from across South Carolina, and the Celebrate Freedom Foundation mobilized to deliver aid to hard-hit communities in the mountains of North Carolina.

“It really became this huge ecumenical collaboration,” said Pastor Dawn Rister. “Folks just kept bringing in supplies—not only for people here in South Carolina, but also for those across the border.”

The Celebrate Freedom Foundation partnered with the church to transport food, water, and emergency supplies by truck, Humvee, and ev