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When Hurricane Helene hit in late September, it had tragic consequences for western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee and the surrounding regions that were unaccustomed to dealing with this type of severe weather.
Driven by a mission of bringing family and community together over barbecue, but more importantly bringing food to those in need, the Kingsford brand was compelled to aid in the relief effort. Over the past six weeks, I’ve had the privilege of joining forces with our retail partner Harris Teeter, based in Matthews, North Carolina, and an incredible network of pitmasters — including two Preserve the Pit fellows — to bring support to communities impacted by the hurricane. Our journey has taken us from Hendersonville, North Carolina, to Gray, Tennessee, and beyond, as we’ve worked hand in hand with Operation BBQ Relief and other local heroes.
Here’s a glimpse into our recent efforts:
Ron Simmons, Year 1 Preserve the Pit Fellow: Ron and his Masterblend crew partnered with the Manna Food Bank of Asheville to deliver hot meals to staff, local volunteers, and vendors, providing much-needed relief to this western North Carolina city hit hard by the hurricane.
Tay Nelson, Year 3 Preserve the Pit Fellow: Tay traveled to Hendersonville and helped serve hundreds of meals daily, supported by Skeeter and the Operation BBQ Relief team.
George Ewart of Dead End BBQ in Knoxville, Tennessee: Thanks to a referral from brand ambassador Chris Lilly, we connected George with the regional lead from Operation BBQ Relief. George didn’t hesitate to load up his rig and head to Gray to prepare meals at scale.
Harris Teeter, Grocery Partner: Provided a truck and driver to pick up 25 pallets of donated items, including Clorox Liquid Bleach, Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, Clorox Manual Toilet Bowl Cleaner, Glad Trash and Food Storage Bags, Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing and Kitchen Bouquet Browning Sauce from our regional distribution center in Fairburn, Georgia, to deliver to Manna Food Bank in Mills River, North Carolina.
I’m so proud to be part of this work and see the barbecue community come together to help these communities as they begin the slow recovery process. Together we are making a difference, one meal at a time.
