At least 230 people across six southeast U.S. states lost their lives due to Hurricane Helene and damage estimates are projected to be $30.5 billion to $47.5 billion, or more.
World Compassion Network (WCN) is collecting specific disaster relief items at Warsaw Community Church for the communities affected and the response has been “great,” organizers say.
Sunday, Ann Sweet, one of the people accepting items at WCC, said, “We have been really blessed with the response from the whole community. It isn’t just one group of people. World Compassion Network started this donation request, and the response has been from all of the major organizations and businesses in town.”

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As examples, she said the FFA group from South Whitley brought over a whole pallet of horse, cat and dog food, “things that people don’t think about.” At least a dozen chain saws have been donated, as well as gas cans and cash to buy gasoline.
“It’s amazing the response of this community. And it’s not just the ‘wealthy’ people,” Sweet stated. “We were just talking about it. It’s the people that are counting their pennies from week to week that are driving up here and sharing what they have with the poor folks that have absolutely nothing.”
She continued, “It’s hard to realize when we say that folks have nothing, we still think, ‘Oh, yeah, they have a toothbrush and they have those kind (of items).’ No, they don’t. When you’re walking waist deep in mud and silt, you’re not thinking about anything but survival. God has just blessed this community so much over the years.”
The response to Hurricane Helene reminds Sweet of the response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 when she was working with the American Red Cross then.
“The response was just wonderful. Some of the folks working here also responded after Hurricane Katrina, so they know how this operates,” Sweet said. “... I’ve been amazed over the years that I’ve worked with World Compassion Network. They have only four employees and everything else is volunteers and donations. This community just really comes together. World Compassion Network provides a big bang for the small organization that they are.”
Metzger Trucking has donated a semi-tractor-trailer and driver and will drive it to North Carolina.
Sandy Hatcher, WCN office administrator, said they are working with Solid Rock Full Gospel Church in Hot Springs, N.C. The church will get the items to Hot Springs Elementary School that will be acting as a distribution center, with teachers and bus drivers making deliveries in Hot Springs and Asheville, N.C., because they know where they can travel and where the items are needed.
The goal is to have the truck parked at Warsaw Community Church filled by 6 p.m. Oct. 10, Hatcher said. Donations are being accepted every weekday this week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Volunteers will be on hand generally in the afternoon, but the trailer will be unlocked at about 10 a.m. every day for people to drop off their donations.
Volunteering on Monday will be The Beaman Home. Other volunteer groups will be Warsaw Community High School FSA on Tuesday, Fellowship Missions on Wednesday and Whitko FFA on Thursday.
Hatcher said the community’s response has been great and has blown her mind.
They’ve already received donations of four generators and 12 chain saws, with Walmart to donate a pallet of water. Victory Rock Church, Pierceton, is donating a van full of items on Thursday.
“We live in the best community ever,” she said.
Items needed include rakes, shovels, baby and adult diapers, baby wipes, feminine personal hygiene products, cleaning supplies (bleach), baby formula, granola/protein bars, “pop top” non-perishable food, juice boxes, tarps, new gas cans, trashbags, gloves, face masks, storage containers with lids, generators and chain saws.
“We got a list from different churches of things that people were asking for,” Hatcher said.
Along with Metzger Trucking providing the semi and driver, she said G & G Hauling & Excavating donated a fork lift to load and unload pallets, Lewis Salvage donated cartons for packing, Warsaw Chemical donated barrels and some cleaning supplies while the residents of Kosciusko and Whitley counties are filling the truck.
Clean-up from Helene will take years, and a possible second hurricane may be headed in that direction.
“”Eventually, we will take volunteers down there to help with the clean-up, but we can’t do that until the search and rescue is over and the initial response is over,” Hatcher said.
After this donation collection, she said they will see where they’re at, but at this rate they may fill another truck and decide what the next steps are.
Monetary donations are being accepted and those allow WCN to be flexible on purchasing things like gasoline for people in the areas hit by the storm. WCN already made a $500 donation to the church in Hot Springs.
Checks can be sent to WCN, P.O. Box 1152, Warsaw, IN 46581. In the memo line, put “Disaster” for the disaster fund.
The website is www.wcnministries.org; call or text 574–267–5427; or email [email protected].