Plainfield woman keeps North Carolina hurricane relief efforts going into holidays

Terri Horwath was only 20 years old and living in Plainfield when the deadly F5 tornado hit the community in August 1990.

To this day, Horwath can clearly recall the path of destruction the tornado took and its impact on the Plainfield, Crest Hill and Joliet area.

She also remembers that people came from everywhere to help the community.

Hearing about the devastation that occurred in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and the people in need in North Carolina, Horwath said it brought her back to the time when her community was impacted.

Just like it was 34 years ago in Plainfield, she said, people need food, clothes, and housing.

“People were literally cut off from all communication. They were stuck and could not get out of their houses,” she said. “Even now it is unfortunate we are caught up in other things that we are not giving attention to people who need attention.”

“People are living in tents and don’t have power,” Horwath said.

With Christmas inching closer, she began to wonder how families impacted by the hurricane will have Christmas for their families.

Horwath heard about a town, nestled in the mountains of western North Carolina called Marshall that had been hit particularly hard by the hurricane.

“Marshall,” she said, “was my grandmother’s maiden name.”

And with that connection and the fact that her grandmother was Baptist, Horwath picked up the phone and called a Baptist church in Marshall, Enon Missionary Baptist Church.

Horwath said she told them this may sound crazy, but she wanted to ensure the community received Christmas gifts this year.

“For these kids, they may not have anything and for them to get something at Christmas would be amazing.”

—   Rev. Jason Hyatt, a pastor of Enon Missionary Baptist Church

To make it as easy as possible for people, Horwath set up a Christmas registry through an online website Christmas help for Hurricane families for Enon Missionary Baptist Church | Walmart.com

The gifts are shipped directly to the church, she added.

In addition, individuals can adopt a family for the holiday. To date, 17 families have been adopted by individuals who live all around the world.

“There are more families who are in need of adoption for Christmas,” according to Rev. Jason Hyatt, a pastor of Enon Missionary Baptist Church.

His church was spared during the hurricane and as result they have become a resource for others who need help or who want to help.

Other communities near Marshall such as Spruce Pine, Marion, Newland, Mars Hill, Burnsville, and Barnardsville have lists with more than one hundred children who are in need of Christmas gifts, he added.

The need is huge, Hyatt said.

“As a pastor, I never imagined that the mission of helping other folks would be right here in my neighborhood,” he added.

“We are used to sending people out to go help,” Hyatt said, “After the storm, all that changed.”

He explained that in the weeks since the hurricane the needs of the community have changed from a need for drinking water and generators to needs for food and household staples.

Then the temperature changed, Hyatt said and “people who were living in tents and homes without power needed heat.”

Working with eight other churches, they have been attempting to meet an assortment of needs—ranging from getting people into campers or navigating power line repairs.

Hyatt said when Horwath initially reached out she was already thinking about the next need of these families at Christmas.

“For these kids, they may not have anything and for them to get something at Christmas would be amazing,” he added. Anyone interested in adopting a family can contact Terri Keck Horwath via Facebook messenger or email Enon Missionary Baptist Church at fayeflynn@charter.net