In the wake of the devastating Hurricane Helene in late September 2024, the ECRS team in Boone, North Carolina, stepped up to support its community and the greater western North Carolina region. ECRS, a transaction and retail solutions provider, is located in Watauga County, which was included in FEMA’s 39-county disaster declaration.
“Our dedicated employees delivered essential supplies, assisted with cleanup efforts and provided unwavering support across the area,” said ECRS President Caroline Catoe.
“The power of community is truly remarkable, and we are grateful to be part of the resilient Boone community. Together, we have shown that in times of crisis, we can overcome any challenge.”
Catoe was the first to take action immediately following the storm, communicating with employees regarding office closures, business operations and outreach.
Catoe became a central hub for response efforts. She monitored social media outlets, actively seeking opportunities to assist; worked with area organizations to coordinate needed volunteer efforts; took calls/requests from people in need throughout the community; and helped organize employee volunteer efforts, sending help and supplies to areas most in need of assistance.
In addition to monetary donations, ECRS donated more than 1,500 hours in additional PTO time to its employees to allow them to help with emergency response efforts from Sept. 27-Oct. 7.
Catoe did all of this while keeping the business moving, dealing with physical damage to ECRS offices, her own home and helping employees who were navigating the aftermath.
“It was a frightening, unsure time, and her leadership helped guide the company and community through unchartered territory,” said Mark Kassab, ECRS sales director.
Below are stories of how ECRS team members contributed to hurricane relief efforts:
Dungeons & Dragons fundraiser
ECRS Software Developer Nick Novacek had worked with some friends in 2023 to host a Dungeons & Dragons event for the community, with proceeds going to a worthy cause.
That first year, about 40 people participated and the local humane society received about $1,500 from the event.
Novacek said the group decided to rebrand the fundraiser for hurricane relief after Helene hit the area. More than 85 people signed up, leaving the group with the problem of where to host such a large gathering.
“ECRS came to the rescue,” he said, adding that the company offered free use of company space, which allowed 100 percent of the $2,617 in ticket sales to be donated. The funds went to Mountain True, the nonprofit spearheading the Helene repairs in Watauga County.
“Huge shoutout for the company for allowing us this space and another shoutout to all the ECRS folks who showed up to volunteer, play and help the community thrive,” Novacek said.
“I know in addition to this fundraising effort, ECRS employees on the clock worked at the WHS distribution center, moved folks’ stuff out of damaged homes, cleared roads and cleared trails in the following weeks.”
Delivering supplies to inaccessible areas
ECRS Chief Information Security Officer Matthew Mellon used his personal Aero Commander 100-180 (N4063X) to airlift supplies as part of the Carolina Aviators Network Hurricane Helene operations.
“I flew four missions in my own airplane, from Statesville to Jefferson (twice), Mountain City and Boone to deliver donated supplies of food, water, clothing and medicines to airports in areas impacted by Helene,” he said.
Organizing donations, clean-up efforts
ECRS’ reciProfity Business Unit Manager Audrey Jones saw the destruction Hurricane Helene left in its wake and immediately started organizing donations.
“During Helene, I was living down the mountain and saw the destruction of western North Carolina as it happened, before so many who lived there knew the extent,” she said.
ECRS employees raised $1,500, and Jones said she worked with “folks on the ground to ensure what I bought was truly needed – diapers, bar oil [for chainsaws], medicine and shelf-stable foods. I was able to work with friends to go to the places that needed help – not just donate at the general donation sites.”
She carried donations to locations such as Elk Park, Banner Elk and Spruce Pine – areas where few supplies were being delivered.
Jones also worked with a Crossnore garden center to assist with high-need locations.
In cleanup efforts, she helped at the Crossnore Children’s Castle, pulling out and disposing of soaked items such as kids art, rugs and toys.
Army of volunteers helping neighbors
ECRS Supply Chain Business Unit Manager Melanie Marshall shared a story from her community of Creston, in Ashe County, that was picked up by The Washington Post.
“While our roads were severely damaged, folks still managed to get supplies to the Creston Fire Department on the surviving single lanes of Highway 88 for the army of volunteers on foot, horse and ATV,” she said.
“Not mentioned in the article, because the reporter was there before the equipment arrived, we even did packages in five-gallon buckets to be drone delivered. It was truly an awe-inspiring operation to get to every resident of Creston, North Carolina.”
From strangers to friends
ECRS Director Knowledge of Resources Burt Aycock told of his experience helping strangers in need, such as assisting an elderly woman move out of her home in Boone that was “both heartbreaking and uplifting.”
“She was obviously devastated, but she was also immensely grateful for the work the ECRS team did to get her stuff sorted, discarded and into storage,” he said.
Aycock added that he took his generator around to “various folks, some who I know, some who became new friends. A couple of my neighbors are elderly widows who appreciated a visit simply to vent and tell stories, which seemed to help.
“They eventually found things for me to do, including clearing debris, mowing the yard and even picking a bucketful of pears to make preserves.”
He added his thanks to his neighbors who offered their homes for showers, laundry and provided water when his well had no power.
“Seeing everybody helping each other has been so great to watch,” Aycock said.
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