In late September, Hurricane Helene ripped through the Southeast devastating East Tennessee, Western North Carolina, and other areas in the region. The storm left countless people without homes, destroyed businesses, and wiped small towns off the map. In response, many artists and celebrities donated or raised money for those affected by the hurricane. For instance, Luke Combs, Eric Church, James Taylor, and Billy Strings teamed up for the Concert for Carolina which raised more than $24 million for hurricane relief.
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Many people have mentally moved on from the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Helene. However, despite the storm largely disappearing from headlines, for those who are living in heavily impacted areas, it is still very real. As a result, some are wondering where the money from the Concert for Carolina went.
“Helene storm victims of North Carolina want to know where the 24 million dollars that was raised in this benefit concert is at,” one curious individual tweeted. “They are wondering why people are sleeping in tents almost a month after this concert. Do you care to comment, Luke Combs or Eric Church,” they added, tagging the country stars in the post.
Luke Combs Answers Questions about Hurricane Relief Funds
Replies to the post were full of people wondering where the money from Concert for Carolina and other charities was going. Luke Combs came to the replies to give a breakdown of where some of the funds raised by the benefit concert went.
“The portion of proceeds that I raised were split evenly between Manna Food Bank in Buncombe County, Second Harvest Food Bank of Watagua County, Samaritans Purse, and Eblen Charities,” Combs tweeted. “All hyper local 501c3 charities originating and operating in WNC,” he clarified. So, much of Combs’ portion of the $24 million is going to feed those impacted by Helene in Western North Carolina.
The portion of proceeds that I raised were split evenly between Manna Food Bank in Buncombe County, Second Harvest Food Bank of Watagua County, Samaritans Purse, and Eblen Charities. All hyper local 501c3 Charities originating and operating in WNC. https://t.co/zc1fIPB2kO
— Luke Combs 🎤 (@lukecombs) November 25, 2024
While many thanked Combs for his quick reply, they still had complaints about where the money went. One tweet summed up the criticism. “People donated on the thought that homes were going to be built with that money. While these organizations are great, they are not building homes.”
Featured Image by Taylor Hill/WireImage
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