Providing vegetarian meals during times of natural disasters
News & Updates
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- Updates -
November 9, 2025
August 2025
November 21/2025
Lake Lure, Batcave, Chimney Rock, North Carolina Update
A few days before September 27, 2024 I found myself with friends on a small farm just minutes from Lake Lure and the small communities of Bat Cave and Chimney Rock that were severely damaged by Hurricane Helene. At the time mostly I was asking myself if I was going to continue my journey northward into the Adirondack's of Upstate New York to see my best friend from High School, or was I going to turn around and head back to Texas. When I talked to Bruce it became clear that on this trip I would have to return to Texas. His sister had unexpectedly passed away.
I remember that I was waiting for Sumati to finish up with her chiropractor, whose office was in the center of Rutherfordton, NC. Inside the hardware store across the street some of the people were talking about a storm and how it might rain a lot. Honestly, I wasn't all that alarmed and nor were the people who were talking it. They said there might be a little flooding.
What happened over the next couple of day would soon be called the worst storm to hit North Carolina in 100 years; a storm that finally got my full attention. After 8 days electricity was finally restored and the roads cleared so that we could venture out to see all the damage for ourselves.
All of this took place just just over a year ago, and yes, I did make it back to Texas safely and in April of 2025 I hired a lawyer to obtain for Krishna Disaster Relief our IRS-501(c)(3) non-profit status. This was granted to us in August. However, memories of Hurricane Helene are still fresh in my mind and I remember telling myself at the time that if ever possible, to send a donation to help with the recovery efforts that were so desperately needed . After all this is what Krishna Disaster Relief is all about.
I am now happy to report that today (Friday, November 21st and 14 months later) I sent that donation, payable to the "Mennonite Disaster Service." I have listened to two reports on the recovery work that the Mennonites are still performing in North Carolina and I also remember how leaving the farm on that first trip after the Hurricane, that we saw the Mennonite's free mobile food service in action, located at the only grocery store in Lake Lure. It would be weeks later that the grocery store finally opened.
Mennonites handing out free meal in Lake Lure
(Photo by: Ronald E. Boutelle)