Bounty and Soul’s Holiday Market In NC

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the people of North Carolina have been trying to piece their lives back together. Countless people suffered damage of some kind to their homes: trees falling through ceilings, landslides, basements or lower levels of their homes flooding, mold, or the more horrific stories of homes being entirely lost or swept away. For the folks who are just managing to get by, they are relying heavily upon on-the-ground non-profits like Bounty and Soul and mutual aid to make ends meet. 

One the eve of Thanksgiving, Bounty and Soul partnered with Buddhist Relief for a joyous event: their annual Holiday Market. This year the market provided In addition to Thanksgiving meals and fresh produce this years market featured the added bonus this year of families being able to bring home heartfelt gifts with them, including beautiful quilts. With the organizational help of Luana from “eQuilter”, 323 hand made quilts made by people from across the country, were donated from all over the country to me on behalf of Buddhist Relief and Bounty and Soul. to the Holiday Market. The amount of care and love stitched into these quilts was unbelievable These quilts were unbelievable with the amount of care and love people put into them.Distributed to families in the Swannanoa and Black Mountain communities who suffered extensive home damage or completely lost their homes, each quilt was received with gratitude and in addition to being a source of inspiration and hope, they will also help to keep these families warm through the winter. 

Multiple people said they were living crammed in extended family members homes after their personal homes were lost (for one family, 20 people in a 3 bedroom house) or living in tents. One man, who had been living out of his car since the Hurricane, broke down in tears and said it was a reminder that people still care and are thinking about them. A mother came through and her children left with a few of the smaller kids quilts and huge smiles on their faces. 

Our team felt so grateful to be part of such generosity. Thank you to all the quilting artists from around the county, to Bounty and Soul, and to Jetsunma for her deep loving care for people everywhere!

May all beings have healthy food, clean water, homes to keep them safe, and love to keep them strong!