In the small town of Marathon lies a community of helpers packing water bottles, clothes, and other personal care items. All part of the many donations collected for victims of Hurricane Helene.
“You have to consider that they have lost everything, so all of the basic necessities that we take for granted may have been washed down a river,” said Ken Lango, member of the town board and organizer of donations.
Ken Lango partnered with Grindstone Ministries, a non-profit helping survivors in North Carolina. Since 2019, Grindstone Ministries has been providing disaster relief in the middle and southern United States. Lango has also enlisted help from a few young determined volunteers.
“I didn’t even learn the girl’s name, but because she took over, I affectionately called her the boss," said Lango.
The “Boss” is 9th grader Alyssa Hall, who started volunteering because she has relatives that were impacted by Hurricane Helene in Tennessee.
“It’s just like something that I’m passionate to do is help others, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to do that,” said Hall.
The tiny town of Marathon holds just over a thousand people, but its heart-sized efforts are attracting donors from miles around.
“Everyone in this community is very helpful and when someone needs something, they will rush to help,” said Hall.
“It’s interesting, there seems to be a certain demographic that shows up, and it’s older people. I think it’s because they’ve had more life experiences, and they’ve had hard times, so this resonates with them,” said Lango.
For now, Lango says the humble operation will continue collecting, packing, and shipping donations for communities in extraordinary need.
“We are not a 501(c)(3), we are just people trying to do the right thing,” Lango said.
