After having their Haywood County home destroyed by three separate floods, Michelle Lee, her husband Roger and their son Cheyenne have found new digs on higher ground. 

The land they had lived on was in the Lee family for generations. Roger’s 71 years have played out on the wooded patch near a normally calm creek that slipped its banks and wreaked havoc on the property three times — in 2004 when Hurricanes Frances and Ivan arrived; in 2021, Fred; and in 2024, Helene. 

Western North Carolina’s recovery from Hurricane Helene showed clearly that resilience is built not just by government plans on paper but by people and organizations rooted in community and commitment.

Three regional philanthropy leaders — Dogwood Health Trust, Mountain Projects and The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina — stood at the center of that response, stepping beyond missions and acting as frontline partners in relief, recovery and stability when formal systems lagged or gaps emerged. 

Last month, an investigation by The Smoky Mountain News revealed that Jackson County Commissioner Jenny Lynn Hooper had missed at least 13 of 16 meetings of various oversight or advisory boards she volunteered to serve on after her November 2024 election. Since then, new information has come to light showing she’s now missed at least 14 of 17 meetings, but Jackson County Tourism Development Authority Chairman Robert Jumper still can’t cite any authority that exempts Hooper from the removal policy stated in TDA’s own bylaws. 

To the Editor:

Mountain Projects is proud to be a trusted Community Action Agency, serving Haywood and Jackson counties since 1965. Families and individuals rely on our programs each day for support, opportunity, and stability — and our doors must remain open to serve them. 

Last week, Mountain Projects’ Amanda Singletary was convinced she’d be calling all 250 Section 8 landlords with bad news: they wouldn’t be receiving October’s rental payment.  

Because Section 8 received funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, but HUD hadn’t indicated what might become of its finances given a federal government shutdown, Singletary was “sweating bullets” as the Oct. 1 deadline to extend a continuing resolution to keep the federal government open loomed over the horizon.  

Michelle Parker hadn’t finished unpacking the last of her belongings that had survived Tropical Storm Fred in August 2021 when her home was destroyed by Hurricane Helene September 27, 2024. Within three years, two devastating floods had displaced her and her husband Jeff.  

Like any parent or guardian, Katie Clubb wants to provide nutritious food for her grandchildren. Clubb, a Canton resident, said with rising grocery prices, SNAP benefits don’t adequately cover healthy options for anyone in her household. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture for fiscal year 2024 reported that the average person received $187.20 in SNAP — Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program — per participant, per month.

As Mountain Projects celebrates its 60th anniversary serving Haywood and Jackson Counties, the organization is marking a season of both reflection and action. Executive Director Patsy Davis, who has led the agency for 27 years, will retire this summer.

The proposed Jackson County budget for fiscal year 2025-26 contains a six cent decrease in the millage rate, and yet, for most people in Jackson County, property tax bills will increase significantly. 

In the face of challenges with Section 8 rental assistance, Mountain Projects Executive Director Patsy Davis visited county commissions in both Haywood and Jackson counties this month to inform elected officials of just how dire the situation is becoming.