It’s a magical thing what a pair of hands can do.

In a familiar holiday story many of us love, we watch the Grinch's heart grow three sizes when all the Whos in Whoville, despite finding no gifts under their trees on Christmas morning, join hands in the town square singing, "Christmas Day will always be, just so long as we have we."

The Whos keep their cherished traditions that express the importance of Christmas: Harmony, Hope, and Love. These ideals are symbolized through the connection of hands.

This year, in our own backyards, no use of our hands has been more meaningful than the hands family, friends, and neighbors lent each other during the rescue and recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene.

This once-in-a-century storm forever altered our landscapes, devastated numerous towns throughout our region, and displaced thousands of people, including many of our own Mast Store family members living in the Appalachian Mountains.

In the first days following Helene, we were left to reclaim personal belongings from the wreckage of our homes, clear roadways so emergency crews could provide desperately needed resources to isolated communities, and mourn the loss of loved ones and neighbors.

Despite the indescribable hardships, the best within us shined as we extended our hands – literally and figuratively – to anyone who needed help. The Mast Store itself was among the recipients of such selfless charity as our guests from near and far messaged with hopeful words, sent supplies directly to us and to our communities, and, in some instances, hiked miles across the mountains to help us clean the storm’s refuse from the Annex in Valle  Crucis.

We could not be more grateful for this humbling display of generosity. In turn, the Mast Store wants to encourage everyone who loves our communities and our mountains, to continue keeping them in your hearts and on your minds, especially at Christmas. There is much work left to be done, and the rebuilding process will continue for years to come.

An important part of the rebuilding is re-establishing foot traffic in our downtowns. As the main anchor in most of our downtowns, if the Mast Store does well, our neighbors do well. Right now, we all need each other to have success to keep our towns going. So, please, shop at local businesses, stop in for a meal at a downtown restaurant, grab a cup of coffee.  When you do visit, we urge you to be a thoughtful and compassionate visitor. All of us have gone through something, and many of us have gone through more than you can imagine.

• Plan your trip knowing that you may need to take a different route or that there may be delays.
• Don't drive around barricades or into areas where the roads are not yet safe (there are many places that are open to local traffic only).
• Be positive in your interactions and patient at restaurants, shops, and attractions because many places are operating with less staff since the storm. Above all, be kind.

Many of our community partners have been blessed by donations of all kinds, but there is still much work to be done to heal the mountains. These are a few of the groups that are currently working in Western North Carolina and East Tennessee:

Food Banks & Basic Needs

• MANNA FoodBank - serving the Asheville, Hendersonville, and Waynesville areas 
• Hunger & Health Coalition - serving Boone, Banner Elk, Newland, Lansing, and West Jefferson areas 
• Second Harvest of Northwest North Carolina - serving Boone, Sparta, Jefferson areas
• BeLoved Asheville - Helping Asheville people the Asheville way
• Hurricane Helene Recovery Fund - this is a fund set up by Eblen Charities, which is based in Asheville, that will help purchase essential items, pay housing costs, etc. for service workers, emergency responders, and non-profit workers
• North Carolina Community Foundation Disaster Relief Fund - his fund supports non-profit community organizations in North Carolina providing vital services to meet the needs of affected communities in the aftermath of a disaster.

Volunteer (or Donate)

• Samaritan's Purse - volunteer teams are on the ground in North Carolina, Florida, and Georgia
• Mennonite Disaster Service - building bridges and more!  (Read more about their partnership with Lutheran Disaster Resources) 
• Baptist Men on a Mission - preparation for rebuilding, etc. 
• Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity - helping with storm-related repairs

Help for Small Businesses

• Always Asheville Fund - Helping small businesses in Asheville and the surrounding area weather the storm
• Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation - Supporting Boone and Watauga County
• Arts North Carolina Helene Disaster Relief Fund - Providing relief to artists and art organizations affected by Helene
• Love Hendo Business Recovery Fund - Supporting local business recovery in Henderson County
• River Arts District - Helping the artists in the River Arts District rebuild studios, stock materials, and get back to making art

Restoring Parks & Natural Resources

• Friends of the Blue Ridge - Donate or volunteer for projects in the communities along the Blue Ridge Parkway 
• Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation - Help underwrite clean-up and restoration on the Blue Ridge Parkway 
• Pisgah Conservancy - This organization is working closely with the U.S. Forest Service to re-open the Pisgah Forest around Asheville
• RiverLink - RiverLink’s work for the French Broad River (and her urban streams) focuses on three major programs: Youth Education, Water Resources, and Land Management.

This Christmas, as our mountain neighbors begin to rebuild and reopen their doors to welcome us back, let’s remember that the greatest magic in each pair of hands is how gifts multiply exponentially when we join them together.