Update 10/7/24
Spencer Nix, CEO & Cofounder Reformation Brewery
“Thank you for the overwhelming support and donations. You not only helped us get tangible support to those in need affected by Helene, but also helped us cover all our costs for the water project and likely have helped us get a Foundation started to be even better stewards of your trust and generosity.
Due to the trust our community has given Reformation through these donations, I took a large delivery of donations and went up to Asheville, the airport, Biltmore Village, Hendersonville, and the Flat Rock area yesterday to get a better idea of how our support is being used and how best to move forward.
Our personal contacts, Brandi and Matt, are doing incredible work through their 30 years of local relationships and their produce distribution business relationships. They love their community well and take supplies to those with the least. Almost all the donations of our community have already been distributed to the area of need. From my experience with non-profit logistics amid disasters, that’s impressive and inspiring. From my assessment, it’s definitely the harder-to-reach places around Asheville that are still in the most dire need. While Asheville, and specifically the Arts District, looks devastated, I was pleasantly surprised with the rest of the downtown and how the orgs and FEMA are mobilized in the city.
Our venue can keep being a drop-off location for the supply list items only. I will coordinate taking supplies to Brandi and Matt as they request, and what they don’t need, we will get to other orgs doing work in response to the hurricane; Angel Flight and a group of pilots out of Gainesville are a few options.
List of accepted items:
Water
Diapers
Formula
Wipes
Charcoal
Non-perishable foods
As far as the water project, we will rely on Brandi and Matt to make requests, and we can run a pallet of water as we can find time. I’ve got volunteers who are able and willing to run it to them with very little notice.
Thank y’all again for being awesome and agile. Our collective efforts have done good things for people in real need. From experience, that’s not easy to do. A lot of charitable efforts are well-meaning, but only a fraction of the charity impacts the greatest needs. Our quick and precise efforts have accomplished what we had hoped, and I’m very proud of our community for coming together to meet this need.”
Update 10/4/24
Exporting a little hope is good for the soul. Shout out to Shane Hoover for the transport to Western Carolina today and to @zipcain and @servinternational for the pallets of MREs that provide 2 servings with one can of @reformationbrewery emergency drinking water. The generous and collaborative spirit of our community is truly remarkable. We are shipping donated items within hours of receiving them. We will continue for the next 48 hours and then reevaluate the need. We will take your donations throughout the weekend and add them to our water shipments to Flat Rock, NC, Augusta, Vidalia, and Valdosta (all on the schedule). Thank you again!
Update 10/3/24
We’re not done yet, but I feel I must pause and just say wow, the response from our community in Woodstock, Canton, Smyrna, and North Georgia has been simply amazing. You are donating your goods, your labor, and your dollars to our water relief project without hesitation, without tax ramifications, and without the desire to be recognized. The generosity of individuals has once again been on full display, and all I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you.
Canned water, as well as other critical goods, are on the way to Augusta, Valdosta, and Western Carolina as I write this. More is going out tomorrow. Our canning line has been running at full capacity because of your generosity. My amazing production crew has jumped on this project with full hearts and countless hours. I fear I’m going to leave out some key partners, from our can supplier (Battle and Associates) to our landlords (Moxie Property Group) at The Mill to our restaurant neighbors Community Burger and Queenies, and last but certainly not least, our lifelong friends Kim and Kevin Griggs for countless volunteer and coordinating hours; thank you, thank you, thank you for your kindness and generosity.
I truly feel a sacred trust with this community and Reformation, and I am privileged and committed to doing all we can to steward that trust as we export your love and kindness to others in the throws of real human despair. Prayer is no magic bullet, but if you’re so inclined, I know the folks in these areas of devastation would not begrudge those prayers tonight. And whatever your perspective might be, count your blessings. North Georgia, we love you, and there’s nothing you can do about it, cheers.
~ Spencer Nix, CEO & Cofounder Reformation Brewery
Our neighbors in Western Carolina need our help.
We got the request from a farmer’s wife in western Carolina for WATER for her small community. In less than 12 hours we’ve got a pallet of the best water in the United States heading her way. Shout out to Kimberly and Kevin (@serpentanddovemusic) for handling the logistics and shipment.
The waters are receding and the discoveries of what lay beneath are horrific. Many, many small communities are still at the highest level of triage, needing basic survival commodities. They are using ATVs and mules to get back into some of the hollers because there is simply no other way. And as you can imagine, there are real dangers drawing a hungry crowd, and the hunger is increasing.
The community need is huge, and they’re asking for MORE HELP!
DONATE NOW at REFORMATION WOODSTOCK or CANTON. Goal is to ship as many items as possible
List of accepted items:
Water
(Reformation is canning water now, $5 creates a case of water, donate here so we can keep it running https://venmo.com/u/reformationbrewery )
Diapers
Formula
Wipes
Charcoal (this one is huge!!)
Non-perishable foods
Hand Sanitizer
The earliest days after the devastation are best suited for locals helping locals, small communities helping small communities. Larger organizations and governments are just not agile enough in these early critical moments for the smallest communities, they’re most helpful and equipped for the longer-term recovery chapter and ALL help is needed.
Stay tuned for more opportunities. We’re looking at having a helicopter transport to get it to places of need quickly.