TL;DR: Harvest Hosts members Jim and Vicki Westwood donated their unused RV to a flood survivor in NC’s Madison County. After connecting with locals, they personally delivered the trailer, set it up, and provided essentials for Gloria Sundquist, who lost her home.
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It all began when Harvest Hosts member Jim and Vicki Westwood saw the flood devastation of Madison County NC on the news. They had purchased a second trailer RV earlier for an extended stay in Alaska. They were full timers in their RV and had lived that way for 8 years. Certain personal events changed their plans and then they found themselves with an extra RV they were paying for storage rental but not being used. After a conversation about what to do with it, they decided to donate it to a Helene storm victim.
Jim first called the Red Cross to offer the RV but they could not promise him that it would be given to a someone in need of housing. Instead they said it might be used by power company, construction, or volunteer workers in the area. Those workers definitely needed shelter while they were working in the storm-ravaged area. But Jim was insistent that their RV be given to a person or family in need. He called several other organizations and received the same answer.
Then Jim thought of Harvest Hosts. There should be a Harvest Hosts location or two in the Madison County area that could help identify a person/family in need. After a few calls, he reached Chuck & Jeannie Blethen at Jewel of the Blue Ridge Vineyard in Marshall NC. Chuck & Jeannie had lost power for two days and Internet and cell phone service for over a week. When their service was restored, they were able to watch a website set up for Madison County residents to get constant updates on who needed help, resources, emergency supply locations, etc.
Within an hour of Jim Westwood’s call, Chuck had read a post from Gloria Sundquist in Hot Springs NC. She was making a desperate appeal for a safe place to shelter. She had lost everything in the flood. She had to be rescued from her attic by a motorized raft crew. Now she was living in an old abandoned cabin a few hundred yards up the hill from her home. Chuck reached out to Gloria and asked if she would be interested in a trailer RV to live in on her property while she rebuilt her home. She was more then grateful for the offer.
Chuck then called Jim and said he had located a person who could use his donated trailer. Gloria asked where it was located in PA and how was to get it to Hot Springs. A quick call to Jim settled that question - he would deliver it from PA to Hot Springs! Gloria was ecstatic. She was working for the election board and had to be absent during week days and asked if we could arrange delivery on a Saturday so she could be present. A quick call to Jim confirmed that it would not be a problem for them to do that.
Now Gloria’s attention went to providing a space on her property where it could be set up. There was still no power, cell phone, or Internet service. Out in the country no power means no pump to provide water from your well. Gloria sprang into action and arranged for a friend to bulldoze the trees, logs, and debris off her property. She had a shed behind her garage removed and had shale gravel delivered and graded for a flat spot for the RV to be dropped. She called the power company and tried to schedule reconnection of power to her property so she could connect the trailer when it arrived. Her sewer line from her house was nearby and her construction friend offered to connect to the RV when it arrived.
Chuck & Jeannie visited Gloria the week before the RV was to arrive (October 26) so they could guide Jim & Vicki to her farm location. Chuck & Jeannie were shocked to see the devastation. What used to be a beautiful farm now looked like a desert. Sand covered everything! A bulldozer had removed most of it but it still looked dreadful. Gloria’s house was destroyed by the flood water. You can see the high water mark on the side of her house. The sink, toilet, and bathtub were full of mud. The floors had been mucked out but the floor joists were warped and bulging through the floors. Most of her home was paneled with wood instead of sheetrock and was starting to show black mold. Her barn had started collapsing and her storage shed lay on its side broken against a tree about 80 yards from where it originally stood.
Chuck reported the site status to Jim and Vicki. They scheduled their RV delivery the following Saturday.
Delivery day arrived (November 2), and Chuck led them to Gloria’s property in Hot Springs, about 40 minutes away. Jim backed the trailer RV into its designated parking slot. Jim & Vicki promptly began setting up the RV for use. They spent about 2 hours showing Gloria all about how it all worked and presented her with the instruction manual. They had donated the RV fully equipped - towels, linens, kitchenware, the full works - ready to move in. Gloria was in tears. Jim & Vicki presented her with the keys. Chuck had brought some freshly baked bread, some other fresh food, and a bottle of his wine as a “house-warming” present.
Jeannie had asked Jim & Vicki if they be our guest for dinner and stay for the night. They agreed. Jeannie had made a batch of lasagna for dinner. They had a very lovely evening with the Westwoods. They again expressed their gratitude for their generous gift to help one of Madison County residents in need. Chuck & Jeannie said that getting to know a bit about those generous people was interesting and fun. They shared some wine, some stories, and then went to bed. The next morning, Chuck make pancakes and bacon for breakfast before the Westwoods headed back to PA.
This is truly one of the outstanding stories of the many generous members of the Harvest Hosts family. Chuck & Jeannie are honored by the chance to have played a small part in this story. There are still thousands of displaced people in Madison County who need a place to stay.
