After Hurricane Helene devastated Augusta, Georgia, leaving thousands without power, water, internet service and basic daily necessities, a community-driven relief effort emerged from the damage. What began as a one-day mission to provide immediate aid via a drive-through and walk-up system, coordinated by American Red Cross East Central Georgia’s Executive Director Susan Everitt, the chapter’s board members, a dedicated community volunteer and the Community Foundation of the Central Savannah River Area, evolved into a powerful movement involving dozens of partner organizations.

At the heart of this response were several nonprofit organizations, community volunteers, generous donors and the HUB for Community Innovation, a unique collaborative space in downtown Augusta that became the epicenter of relief efforts, serving as a place for receiving, organizing and distributing donations.

A Space for Collaboration and Hope

Designed as a community-facing institution, born out of a vision to bridge the gap between large institutions and local neighborhoods, the HUB provided a safe space where volunteers and community members of all ages, socioeconomic backgrounds and ethnicities felt welcomed.

Recognizing that many could not reach the HUB due to transportation issues or road closures due to fallen trees, they partnered with the Red Cross to deploy mobile units distributing essential items such as food, water, baby formula, diapers, toiletries and fresh produce directly to neighbors in need.

"Red Cross is built for this, but in a way that is inspiring,” shares Britney Pooser, executive director of the HUB for Community Innovation. “Susan Everitt has not only stepped up and led this effort. She was the first to reach out to say, ‘hey, we have hot meals on site in partnership with the Salvation Army as well.’ So that first Friday, we were able to start serving hot meals here at the HUB.”

The HUB's innovative approach also extended to providing customized care packages of nutritious food for pregnant and postpartum mothers and signing up families for SNAP through the Augusta University Food is Medicine program. Additionally, a mobile wash center through the Salvation Army was available, helping restore dignity to those without water services by offering shower and free laundry services. In a powerful display of community care, organizers helped coordinate temporary housing for displaced families, while volunteer medical professionals offered critical health services on-site.

The collaborative efforts of multiple organizations have provided targeted support in critical situations: aiding an educator who lost everything two months after renting their first home; connecting an unhoused parent and two children with immediate shelter and long-term housing solutions; and assisting foster parents of special needs children, including an infant dependent on a feeding tube, when support agencies were unreachable.

“Having resources on site to help people get to the resources they need is critical so that they can return to some sense of normalcy,” says Pooser. "You have to build a community before disaster strikes. You have to walk alongside your neighbor, know your neighbor. You have to know your neighboring organizations in order to operate efficiently in crisis mode."

A True Community Effort

Turning a moment of crisis into a testament of human compassion and resilience, the relief effort transcended age and socioeconomic boundaries, bringing together individuals from all walks of life.

“One of the most extraordinary aspects is that everyone here has been personally affected, yet they're still volunteering,” says Christy Beckham, a volunteer organizer. “We have youth, doctors, lawyers, billionaires, and people who've been served – all working together. For instance, a resident from this neighborhood, after receiving a free meal, stayed to volunteer for hours and help unload trucks. People want to be here because they feel like they're making a real difference, and they are.”

Youth Leadership in Action

Teens participating in Youth Leadership of Augusta and the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Augusta Teen Club rolled up their sleeves to volunteer and serve those directly impacted by Hurricane Helene at the HUB. From packing food bags, loading and unloading donations to directing long lines of traffic for the drive-through distribution, these organizations quickly mobilized their youth to participate in the relief efforts, demonstrating the power of youth engagement in community service.

"This disaster relief effort has been an impactful experience for our teens," emphasizes Jessica Pope, teen director for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Augusta. "It's rare for young people to engage in such critical community service. Our Teen Club typically focuses on college prep, career readiness and skills not often taught in schools, but this effort taught them how to serve with compassion, recognizing that while they may have basic necessities, others don’t.”

Youth Leadership Augusta, comprised of high school juniors living or attending high school in Richmond County, was able to apply many of the leadership skills they have obtained through service projects and addressing community needs through programming.

“Our goal is to build Augusta’s next group of leaders, showing them and exposing them to things they may not see in their day-to-day curriculum,” says Taneja Carfiello, advisor for Youth Leadership Augusta. "This is a great time to put the skills that we are working on with the kids to give back to the community. They’re excited to help give back and understand how people have been affected by what happened."

A Model for Community Engagement

The success of this relief effort offers a powerful model for community engagement and disaster response. It demonstrates the impact of community organizations combining their resources to swiftly and effectively meet the immediate needs of their communities.

"The response has been amazing," reflects Susan Everitt, executive director of the American Red Cross East Central Georgia Chapter. "The first day, we served 1,500 cars. Since then, it's been like witnessing a daily miracle. We've had transfer trucks packed with food and diapers arriving, volunteers showing up in droves, and local businesses stepping up in ways we never imagined. This response wasn’t just about the Red Cross – it was a true community-wide effort, which is the beauty of it all.”

Building on the momentum of their successful response efforts, Pooser and Everitt are now helping to coordinate long-term community resilience services at the HUB, transforming it from an emergency distribution site to an individual assistance site.

"The next wave of needs will come in the form of financial assistance,” says Pooser. “We will have to figure out how to stand in the gap financially for families that were already struggling. So, the HUB is going to turn into a FEMA Resource Center and an information center.”

What began as a one-day immediate relief effort has ignited a powerful movement, redefining community care in Augusta and beyond. While utility crews continue to restore power to homes and businesses, it is this movement that will illuminate Augusta's path forward.