Haywood Christian Ministries describes post‑Helene relief, urges state to restore Medicaid HOP funding

Haywood Christian Ministries (HCM) updated the Haywood County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 20, describing large‑scale disaster response after Hurricane Helene and asking the board to support restoration of state funding for the Healthy Opportunities Pilot, known as HOP. HCM’s director, Blake Hart, said the nonprofit shifted quickly from emergency response to long‑term food‑access infrastructure.

"In the first three months, October through December, we were able to distribute 314,000 pounds of food in Haywood County," Hart said, summarizing immediate post‑flood operations and partnerships with local farms and agencies. He said HCM worked with 34 partner agencies and 33 farms and purchased local produce to prevent market losses.

Hart described two programs born from the response: the Smoky Mountain Harvest Hub, which centralizes aggregation and cold storage to expand market access for small producers, and the Bridal Food Access Network, which coordinates innovative distribution strategies among partner agencies. He said HCM acquired a Bethel facility in January that houses the Harvest Hub and infrastructure for the distribution network and that shared cold storage currently includes roughly 1,000‑square‑foot refrigerated and frozen rooms as well as several refrigerated locker units being deployed around the county.

Hart attributed much of the organization’s capacity to the state’s Healthy Opportunities Pilot. "The NC HOP program allowed us the dexterity and flexibility to be able to quickly innovate and produce these outcomes in our communities," he told commissioners, adding that the program is paused statewide because the legislature has not approved a biennial budget. Hart asked the board and residents to encourage state elected officials to include full funding for HOP when the budget is considered.

John Bridal, who identified himself as HCM’s development director, told the board the organization raised more than $1 million in contributions after the flood and is maintaining active social‑media communications to keep residents informed of hours and services. Hart provided HCM’s contact information as hcmnc.org and (828) 456‑4838 and noted the downtown Waynesville pantry operates on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Commissioners and other meeting participants repeatedly praised HCM’s response and ongoing work; multiple speakers described the Bethel site tour and volunteers’ contributions. Hart outlined operations for the refrigerated locker system — an application, online ordering, 9‑door units with temperature monitoring and video surveillance — and said the goal is to service each locker at least once a week.

Hart also provided program spending figures he said HCM had made: he said HCM invested approximately $500,000 in food purchases (with a substantial share going to small local grocers and farms), about $900,000 on home remediation services and $600,000 on financial or material assistance, and he said the organization has helped prevent hundreds of thousands of dollars in market loss for local farms. He said those figures were enabled in part by HOP reimbursements and other grants.

The presentation concluded with an appeal for help restoring HOP funds at the state level so services and jobs paused by the program’s suspension can resume. The board did not take formal action on HCM’s request during the meeting; Hart asked commissioners and residents to contact state legislators in support of full HOP funding.

What's next: HCM representatives said refrigerated lockers will be activated in several locations in coming weeks and encouraged residents to apply via the HCM website or by phone.