The Appalachian Mountains are among the oldest mountain ranges on Earth. They have withstood the changes of millennia, and over the final weekend of September 2024, the Appalachians sustained a monumental event that forever altered their landscapes, their communities, and the lives of the people who call them home. 

In a matter of days, Hurricane Helene moved over the mountains, bringing torrential rains that caused unprecedented flooding throughout Western North Carolina. Millions of people across North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida were left without power, thousands were displaced from their homes, and hundreds, particularly in North Carolina, lost their lives.  

This once-in-a-century storm devastated our region. Many communities were washed away. Other towns and cities were flooded on a previously unimagined scale while entire neighborhoods, business districts, and historic sites were irreparably damaged. 

Helene impacted all of our lives. Some of our own Mast General Store family members lost their homes, friends, and neighbors. We at the Mast Store extend our deepest, most heartfelt sympathy, thoughts, and prayers to them and all people in our region who’ve directly experienced tragic losses. 

In the days immediately following the storm, we were left to reclaim personal belongings from the wreckage of our homes, clear roadways so emergency crews could provide desperately needed resources to isolated communities, search for missing individuals, and attempt to reach out to unaccounted for neighbors and loved ones.  

Despite the indescribable hardships since recovery began, we came together, offered help to others in need regardless of our own circumstances, celebrated reunions, and mourned those who would never return. The best within us shined through kindness, compassion, and unity.  

The Mast Store itself was among the recipients of such selfless charity as our guests from near and far messaged with hopeful words, sent supplies directly to us and to our communities, and, in some instances, hiked miles across the mountains to help us clean the storm’s refuse from the Annex in Valle  Crucis.  

We could not be more grateful for this humbling display of generosity. In turn, the Mast Store wants to encourage everyone who loves our communities and our mountains to continue keeping them in your hearts and on your minds. There is much work left to be done, and the rebuilding process will continue for years to come.  

We share the enduring spirit of our Appalachian home. We have literally weathered the storm, and we will persist and prevail. We will do the hard work to restore the places we love, and, like these mountains, we will go on standing strong. 

Food for the Mountains 

We must stand together, too, and the need for an extended hand from our friends has never been greater. Mast is especially grateful for the ongoing support of Merrell, who has been our long-term partner in fighting food insecurity at home.  

“We appreciate Merrell’s partnership with Food for Kids. For 14 years, donations by Merrell during the month of October have provided meals for children in Mast Store’s communities,” said Lisa Cooper, president of Mast Store.  

Cooper continued, “This year, with the incredible devastation caused by Helene, we are pivoting our efforts to focus on the North Carolina counties affected by the storm. So, with every purchase of Merrell footwear from November 11 through 24, Merrell will make a donation to put food on the tables for our mountain neighbors.” 

During Food for the Mountains, Merrell will donate $15 for each pair of its footwear purchased at any Mast Store location and Mast Store Online to food security agencies with networks in Western North Carolina. 

With a redirected focus from previous years of Mast Store and Merrell’s partnership, the campaign’s goal is to supply the region’s residents as quickly and efficiently as possible through the Mast Store’s local food security agency partners at Hunger and Health Coalition (Boone, NC), MANNA Foodbank (Asheville, NC), and Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina, which supplies food to several of the hard-hit mountain counties (Winston-Salem, NC). 

Also, you can increase your impact in the fight against hunger by choosing to Round UP your in-store purchase to support a local food security partner in your own community. 

Merrell reflects the Mast Store’s sentiments with hopes that Food for the Mountains will benefit those experiencing an unprecedented need for food. 

“I am heartbroken by what I see and hear from friends and family in Western North Carolina. The devastation and loss are?difficult to believe,” said Kent?Doobrow, Mast Store’s Merrell sales representative. “We have partnered for more than a decade to help food security organizations provide Food for Kids, but now the need is so much greater for so many that we need to pivot our efforts to provide Food for the Mountains." ? ? 

Countless residents of North Carolina’s Appalachians remain in dire need of basic resources, including food. The urgency of their need only increases as cold weather fast approaches. Still, in the days following Helene, the kindness, grace, and fortitude demonstrated by Western North Carolina residents and the generosity shown to them from those outside the region have proven that we are all Mountain Strong. 

“The outpouring of support since Helene roared into the mountains has been heartwarming and greatly needed,” said Cooper. “We are so appreciative of all the efforts and donations from people near and far, but these are just the first steps in a long process of recovery." 

The Mast Store’s Food for the Mountains campaign is one of the most critical initiatives in the company’s 141-year history, and each pair of Merrells takes a big step in relief efforts! According to Feeding America, a national organization that works with Mast Store’s local food security partners, $1 provides the equivalent of 10 meals. That means your purchase of a single pair of Merrell footwear puts 150 meals on a family’s table as they continue to recover from Helene during the coldest months of the year. 

Thank you for your support of Mast Store and Merrell’s Food for the Mountains! Visit us November 11 - 24 in stores or online to choose your pair of built-to-last Merrell footwear and, best of all, lend our Western North Carolina friends and neighbors a helping hand.