Rutherford County, North Carolina, is home to the wonderful communities of Chimney Rock, Forest City, Lake Lure, and Rutherfordton (Ruffton). In the wake of Hurricane Helene, much of the county is reeling and its people need our help.
Forest City and Rutherfordton are both open for business, but you can still help Chimney Rock and Lake Lure from afar via donations or gift card purchases. In this guide, we’ve compiled as many organizations and businesses as we can find.
- Local and Tourism Organizations: Tourism is a huge part of the area’s economy and these local organizations are raising funds to help the recovery.
- Rutherford Bound
- The Official Chimney Rock Disaster Fund: Your donations will go directly to Chimney Rock Village to support rebuilding efforts, including businesses that have not yet been able to set up their own fundraising efforts.
- Friends of the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge Donations: Many people know and love the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge (us included). Nothing else really needs to be written here, in my opinion.
- Individual Business Fundraisers: These fundraisers and relief funds have been sourced directly from the business-in-question’s website or social media accounts.
- Burntshirt Vineyards: Burntshirt’s Chimney Rock location is closed indefinitely but their Hendersonville location thankfully survived the storm. The winery has a membership (the 3400 Club). You can also order Burntshirt wine and have it shipped to you (Alabama excluded).
- Camp Lurecrest Hurricane Relief Fundraiser
- Canopy Ridge Farm Fundraiser
- The Carter Family Lodge Fundraiser
- Chimney Rock Gemstone Mine Recovery Fund
- Hickory Nut Falls Rebuild Fundraiser
- Lake Lure Adventure Company Rebuilding Efforts
- Lake Lure Inn Employee Relief Fund
- Lured Market: Lured Market is supporting the community in a variety of ways, including feeding people and sending supplies to those in need—all while their business remains closed due to Helene.
- Riverwatch Grill’s Recovery Journey
- Emergency Lodging:
- Distinctive Mountain Lodging: Check availability. They are offering discounted lodging to first responders and Helene-affected residents.
If you know any businesses that we missed, please kindly let us know in the comments and we’ll investigate further. Also, if you know any business owners that have not set up fundraisers, please encourage them to do so or help them make it happen if you can.
We love spotlighting North Carolina events and experiences for our readers. If you’d like your destination, business, or event featured here (above the rest!) or highlighted in other guides, contact us about promotion opportunities!
What Else Can We Do to Help?
Are there any other ways we can help the people and businesses of Rutherford 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. Here are our two main pages dedicated to relief efforts in the area.
- How to Help Asheville and Buncombe County Businesses
- How to Help Boone and Watauga County Businesses
- How to Help Madison County NC Businesses
- How to Support Mitchell County Businesses
