AVERY COUNTY, N.C. — Nearly a month after Helene hit, there are so many ways people are trying to help our mountain communities from food pantries to soup kitchens and more. But some have decided to help in a different way.
There are times when you can't find the right words to describe how you feel. Avery County was left splinted by Helene and deep cracks run through communities built over generations. But sometimes, when you don't know what to say, it can be found through song.
Stephanie Hughes sat on her land with her guitar. With each strum of her fingertips, it's a way to heal.
“It’s always been through music and writing," Hughes said. "I just couldn’t sleep one night, I was up until three with all these thoughts. I was thinking if I could write something that could raise some money or give a little bit of peace.”
She wrote a song titled "Muddy Waters" about the people of western North Carolina and is raising money from it. Hughes said she took a look at the fractured land and the scars left behind by Helene, leading her to put pen to paper and her hands to the chords of her guitar.
"It helped me to write it, and I thought it would help others to hear it," she said.
The lyrics offer a reminder that within those very cracks, there is light that comes through.
If you'd like to help with Helene recovery efforts in western North Carolina, check out this article from WCNC Charlotte on ways you can give.