The Devastation is Unthinkable

You’ve seen the videos and photographs. Whole towns have been washed away. Many lives have been lost, and others have been completely disrupted. It will be a long time before many of Helene’s victims will feel that their lives are normal again. You can help the people and animals who have been affected by donating funds for their rescue and recovery. Here at the Healthier, Greener, Kinder Foundation, we’ve decided to encourage your donations by offering to match your donated money, dollar for dollar, up to $2,000, between now and October 10. 

This tragedy is personal for us; two of the Foundation’s board members have lived in North Carolina — which was one of the hardest-hit states. We remember spending time in some of the quaint mountain towns that have now been wiped off the map. We can’t sit back — we’ve got to help.

So we’ve picked an excellent rescue organization named Greater Good Charities, which provides on-the-ground assistance and funds partners to maximize impact and relief for the affected people and pets, wildlife sanctuaries, and more. Here is what they say about their efforts regarding Hurricane Helene:

“Hurricane Helene has left a trail of devastation across the southeastern U.S., claiming over 120 lives, with thousands more still missing as reports continue to flood in. Communities are grappling with catastrophic landslides, historic flooding, and relentless rainfall. Over 2.4 million people remain without power, and homes, streets, and businesses have been damaged or destroyed.

Greater Good Charities is on the ground in North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, and other severely impacted areas, working tirelessly to provide critical relief. We are delivering life-saving supplies, hygiene products, Good Packs, food, and water while collaborating with local partners to reach the hardest-hit communities. A temporary distribution center has been set up in Winter Haven, east of Tampa, where our dedicated team of staff and volunteers are receiving and distributing essential supplies directly to those in need.”

As with all of our grantees, we have checked the records of Greater Good Charities to ensure that they will handle our funds appropriately. We are happy to report that Greater Good Charities has a Four-Star rating on Charity Navigator and a Platinum Seal on GuideStar for their dedication to transparency and real positive impact. And they spend 96.5% of every donated dollar on their programs.

While Greater Good Charities is a much larger organization than we normally support, there are good reasons to support their relief efforts: 1) Purina will provide matching funds for donations to their Hurricane Helene relief and rescue program, up to $25,000; 2) Greater Good Charities’ efforts encompass people, pets, the environment, and wildlife — thereby aligning strongly with our kinder and greener program areas; and 3) Greater Good Charities will distribute funds to smaller, community-based organizations who can efficiently and effectively accomplish the necessary relief work.

Between now and October 10, we will match any donations that you make to this fundraiser, up to a total of $2,000. We are pleased to announce that we have already received a $1,000 donation from one of our supporters in North Carolina, so we’re halfway to our goal. Please click the Donate button below and mention Helene in the comment box on the donation form.

On October 10, we will send the money that we’ve collected and matched to Greater Good. Then the donations will be matched again by Purina. So your donations to our fundraiser will be double matched. Please click the Donate button below and give whatever you can. Any amount will help.