Two North Carolina families affected by Hurricane Helen received the gift of a lifetime on Christmas Day: a new place to call home.
The first recipients were the Penley family of Boone, North Carolina, who lost everything in the storm.
The family of four was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday following the birth of their second child and planned to move to a homeless shelter until EmergencyRV intervened.
“We never intended to do that with EmergencyRV. We got this trailer here for them. It's going to be a great place for them to stay now,” the company said in a video posted to X. Ta.
Puppy rescued from Hurricane Helen returns to first responder veteran
The Penley family from North Carolina (pictured with EmergencyRV founder Woody Faircloth and his daughter on the far right) received a camper from EmergencyRV as a gift on Christmas Day after losing their home in Hurricane Helen. (Emergency RV/X)
The RV gifted to the Penleys comfortably fits a family of two adults, an infant, and a newborn. There is a bedroom on one side of the camper and two sleeping areas on the other, a good sized bathroom and a large kitchen area with a table and sofa.
The second recipient of the award was Timothy McCord, a 70-year-old Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam. Helen tore off the roof of her campervan and continued living there despite leaks and other damage.
EmergencyRV traveled to Canton, North Carolina to give McCord a brand new camper after his daughter contacted the company to say she needed help.
When the new home was handed over, McCord said, “You helped me turn my life around, and I appreciate it.''
Timothy McCord, 70, was given a brand new camper by EmergencyRV after Hurricane Helen ripped off the roof of his camper. (Emergency RV/X)
Hurricane Helen victims gifted tiny homes in time for Christmas after helping storm-ravaged communities
EmergencyRV, a nonprofit organization that provides housing to survivors of natural disasters, has provided 77 RVs to those affected by Helen since the storm wreaked havoc in the Carolinas, Georgia and Tennessee in late September. I gave him a camper. The RV will be gifted completely free of charge with a nice title in the recipient's name.
The organization said there are 700 families on the waiting list who have been fully tested and are in real need of assistance after a natural disaster.
A state-of-the-art motorhome donated and delivered to Timothy McCord through EmergencyRV. (Emergency RV/X)
“Due to our limited resources, we are taking this matter seriously,” the organization said in a statement on X. “We are also working to ensure that families have a legal and safe place to park their RV before gifting it to them.” “I am doing so,” he said.
EmergencyRV prioritizes veterans and first responders, but said it has helped families and single people who have lost their homes or been seriously affected in Helen.
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EmergencyRV was founded in 2018 by Woody Faircloth and his then 6-year-old daughter in response to the deadly Camp Fire in Paradise, California.
Their goal was to raise enough money to give an RV to a family affected by the fire. They were able to do just that, and have since donated hundreds of RVs to victims of wildfires and other natural disasters.
