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Impact Report · Hurricane Helene
Operation
Shelter.
A man at the end of his resources turned to the internet and asked for help. $500,000+ later, lives were saved and homes are still being rebuilt in western North Carolina.
Shawn Hendrix · Founder, Here We Grow (Operation Shelter)
“If it wasn't for GiveSendGo, people would have died up there. Heat, food, shelter — you guys saved lives. End of story. And I saw it with my own eyes.”
The story
A man at the end of his resources — and the network that arrived.
Shawn Hendrix was on the ground in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene tore through the region. He'd been pouring personal money into the relief effort for weeks. The work was relentless. Communities were cut off — no power, no water, no way out.
He'd run out of money. He was ready to quit.
Then conviction hit: he was trying to carry it alone. So he did what felt impossible — he turned to the internet, told the truth about what he was seeing, and asked for help. He used GiveSendGo to collect it.
The response was a half million dollars.
That money became heat in subfreezing temperatures. Food where the supply chain had broken. Shelter for families whose homes had been swept away. And it didn't stop at emergency relief — Shawn's ministry, Here We Grow (operating as Operation Shelter), kept going. They're still rebuilding homes today. Still fighting the poverty that predated the storm and was made catastrophic by it.
The region fell out of the news cycle when the LA wildfires broke out. The need didn't.
By the numbers
What the crowd did.
$500K+
Raised through GiveSendGo
Mobilized for Hurricane Helene relief in western NC.
501(c)(3)
Here We Grow / Operation Shelter
Fiscally sponsored — every gift is tax-deductible.
Lives
Heat · food · shelter
Emergency relief turned into ongoing home rebuilding.
Active
Recovery continues
The region fell out of the news cycle — the need has not.
In Shawn's words
The work — and the weight of it.
“I had run out of money. I was like, I'm done, there's nothing else I can do.”
“You guys gave a half million dollars. It's still changing lives up there.”
“These guys gave me an opportunity to help so many people. We're still rebuilding houses.”
The ask
Let's not forget about them.
The clarion call has four moves. Pick the one you can take today.
01Give
The need in western North Carolina is ongoing. Your gift funds heat, food, shelter, and rebuilt homes.
Give to crisis relief02Pray
Lift up the families still rebuilding, the volunteers in the field, and the mission of Here We Grow.
Send a prayer request →03Share
Tell one friend why generosity matters. The hook: let's not forget about them.
04Recruit
Bring others into the Giver Army. Each new member is another line of hope for someone in crisis.
Join the Giver Army →