CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte volunteers are seeking solutions for western North Carolina residents impacted by Hurricane Helene. There are countless fundraisers and efforts and now an influential chef is feeding servicemen and servicewomen in the mountains.
Sam Diminich, owner of Restaurant Constance, and his team have been cooking up thousands of meals and taking them to the mountains.
"The emotional part was just seeing the best of humanity," Diminich said.
He went on a mission to feed those fueling missions in severely impacted areas.
"We got to go to an elementary school they turned into a base camp," he said. "These guys are camping out in tents."
His meals are making a bigger impact on the team than he expected.
"I heard multiple people say they hadn’t eaten in two weeks ... other than like beef jerky and peanut butter crackers," he said.
Diminich also worked with World Central Kitchen and Burial Beer Company to feed people who have gone weeks without power and food of their own.
"It’s just an unprecedented storm creating unprecedented circumstances," he said.
The devastation is widespread, and Diminich said the need for food isn’t letting up.
"To do a week where we served 5,000 meals and to go into the next week where you still need 5,000 motr meals... that says a lot about what we have going on up there," he expressed.
There will be a fundraiser on Mon., Oct. 28 to support the relief efforts. It will be held at Lenny Boy Brewing Co., which is located at 3000 South Tryon Street in Charlotte. The event runs from 6 p.m until 10 p.m. and will include cocktails, beer, wind and food.
Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.