photo by: Gage Vota

East Ohio Regional Hospital practice coordinator Anna Penhos gathers supplies for the Hurricane Helene victims in North Carolina.

East Ohio Regional Hospital and The Experience Church are teaming up to help victims of Hurricane Helene in the greater Asheville, North Carolina, area while others across the region are also doing what they can to help.

EORH Chief Operating Officer Julie Ross said the recent devastation caught the attention of the entire country due to its severity, but it also caught the attention of countless residents of the Ohio Valley. She added that EORH put the word out that it would be filling an ambulance by taking donations to be distributed to the victims.

“The outreach has just been tremendous from our community, our employees and our patients,” Ross said. “What we thought would be one truckload will probably be six or seven truckloads. It really demonstrates the servant heart that our community and employees have.”

Ross added that community outreach is always important but crucial in times like these.

EORH practice coordinator Anna Penhos said the idea of donating supplies was thought of earlier last week but was put into action Wednesday, once the severity of the destruction was realized. She added that EORH was able to team up with The Experience Church in St. Clairsville that already had a plan in action. The church is accepting donations that will be loaded onto a semi-truck that will be driven to North Carolina to distribute supplies to people in need.

The Experience Church Pastor Tim Seidler said members of the church saw the devastation that Hurricane Helene caused and knew they needed to help.

“We feel like the church should be the people who step up when there’s a need even if it isn’t in our backyard,” he said.

Although a specific location isn’t decided yet, Seidler said his goal is to connect with churches on the outskirts of Asheville, North Carolina, to deliver the supplies.

Another individual that is stepping up to help Hurricane Helene victims is longtime Ohio Department of Transportation employee Jim Large. Large isn’t a part of any organization — his grandfather was from Bristol, Tennessee, and his mother came from Kernesville, North Carolina, so he has personal connections to the affected region. He began his journey to help by reaching out to family members in the area and asking what was needed.

Once Large received lists of what was needed, he proceeded to collect supplies at both the Union Local High School homecoming parade on Thursday and homecoming game on Friday. He also established a dropoff point at the Bel-Morr Market outside Belmont and at his father’s former hardware store along National Road.

Large received three trucks and trailers full of supplies to deliver to Evergreen Church in Erwin, Tennessee, with his friends Michael DeLaney and Tom Winland this past weekend.

He added that although his trip is complete, he plans to continue to collect supplies and distribute them to the people who need them.

“We’re looking at this as a continued effort. These mountains have forever been changed,” Large said. “These people would help us out in a heartbeat, and we’re returning the favor.”

Oil & Gas Safety Supply, located at the former Toys-R-Us outside the Ohio Valley Mall in St. Clairsville, is also accepting donations for its “North Carolina-Operation Airlift.” The operation is seeking shovels, axes, chain saws, new or used tools and other supplies. The store is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.