Published by Carl. Last Updated on October 28, 2024.
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We created this guide to help you help local businesses in Burke County, which includes the wonderful towns of Morganton, Valdese, and more.
Burke County is North Carolina‘s largest mountain county and features some of the most impressive natural beauty of our state. Its county seat is Morganton.
As you are likely aware of, Hurricane Helene devastated the Western North Carolina community about a month ago. The people of Burke County were greatly affected and need our support to rebuild and recover their livelihoods.
One way to help from afar is by supporting small businesses and individuals via donations and gift card purchases. In this guide, we’ve compiled as many of them as we can find.
NC Travel Chat about Local Businesses in Burke County
Fall is usually a major time for tourism in Burke County. In this episode of NC Travel Chat, Katherine Christie of Discover Burke County, and she shared many ways we can all help the people and businesses of her region.
Local Organizations
These local organizations in Burke County are doing their part to help the people, workers, and businesses in the area:
- Burke County Disaster Relief Fund: The Community Foundation of Burke County has started a disaster relief fund for local nonprofits.
- Burke County United Way Hurricane Relief Fund: United Way focuses on uplifting residents and businesses in Burke County. When donating to the organization’s Hurricane Relief Fund, designate Burke County to ensure the funds reach the people here.
- NCSSM-Morganton Campus: The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics has a secondary location in Morganton. The school has set up a donation fund to support their students and staff in this time.
- Western North Carolina Workers Center: The WNC Workers Center has set up a Hurricane Help for Latinx Immigrant Workers Fund to provide financial support to Latino immigrant workers and their families in Burke County.
Individual Businesses in Burke County
Many small businesses in Burke County were significantly impacted by Helene.
Here are some small businesses that you can directly support while they seek to restore their business and support their employees through this disaster:
- Amorem Thrifts and Gifts in Valdese is a thrift shop that donates all its profits to Amorem Hospice in Burke County. At this time, Amorem Hospice is accepting direct donations if you’d like to help.
- Debbie’s Embroidery and Screen Printing (Morganton) takes online orders for embroidered apparel.
- Green Eggs and Jam (Morganton): This beloved record store posted on its Facebook that, while they made it out of the hurricane with minor damage, the store lost most of its inventory. Green Eggs and Jam linked its storefront and Venmo for customers to order online and support in recovery.
- Hamilton Williams Gallery & Studio (Morganton): Hamilton Williams has been vital in supporting local artists in the wake of Helene. The gallery set up an artist fund where you can buy from specific artists who have been affected by Helene or you can donate to a general fund.
- Hillman Beer (Morganton): Of Hillman’s three locations in Asheville, Old Fort, and Morganton, only Morganton is currently operational. Hillman Beer asks for your help by visiting the open location, getting a gift card, and donating to their payroll to support their employees.
- Merrill Mischief (Morganton) has tons of chocolate, candy, and fudge available for sale on their website.
- The Olive of Morganton has an online shop and delivers.
- Thornwell Books in downtown Morganton has an online shop via Bookshop.
Note: If you know any businesses or community organizations in Burke County that we missed, please let us know in the comments.
Also, if you know any business owners who have not set up fundraisers or gift cards for purchase, please encourage them to do so or help them make it happen if you can.
What Else Can We Do to Help?
Are there any other ways we can help the people and businesses of Burke County and elsewhere in Western North Carolina? Let us know in the comments.
You can also share your favorite businesses in our North Carolina Travel Facebook Group.
More Hurricane Helene Resources
We are working on compiling as many resources as possible to help you help the people of Western NC, their towns, and the businesses that make them special.
- Avery County (Banner Elk, Sugar Mountain, and More)
- Buncombe County (Asheville, Black Mountain, and More)
- McDowell County (Marion, Old Fort, and More)
- Madison County (Hot Springs, Marshall, and More)
- Mitchell County (Bakersville and Spruce Pine)
- Rutherford County (Chimney Rock and Lake Lure)
- Watauga County (Boone, Blowing Rock, and More)
- Yancey County (Burnsville and More)
- More Coming Soon!
Here are our two main pages dedicated to relief efforts in the area.