
FORT KENT, Maine – A month ago, Josh Greene of Fort Kent started collecting presents for children in North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene. Now, he is traveling down with about 1,000 gifts and picking up more along the way.
The idea came about when Greene, a pastor at the Agape Christian Fellowship in Fort Kent, did some relief work in North Carolina through the church four weeks ago.
Hurricane Helene came ashore in Florida as a category 4 storm on Sept. 26, then it moved north and dumped torrential rain in the southern Appalachian mountains causing widespread flooding and damage in North Carolina.
Greene said they spent a week working on property cleanups for residents affected by the hurricane. On their last day in the area, he said his church group talked about how much more work needs to be done there, and what else they could do to help.
Just as they were packing up and getting ready to leave, they met Kim Burleson, Administrative Assistant and Vice President of Administrative Services at Mayland Community College in Spruce Pine, NC. She told Greene about Kentucky-based Altapass Hands Together Corp., who have been helping the college and others in North Carolina in the wake of the hurricane.
Kyle Milby, a founding member of Altapass who also serves as one of its directors, said they are a newly-formed nonprofit corporation.
“It’s a bunch of Kentucky farm boys that wanted to do some good for North Carolina,” Milby said, describing the corporation. “The Lord laid it on our hearts to do some good there. We began this thing with just a few loads of hay and a few gallons of fuel, going down to provide fuel for generators, and it just turned into so much more than that.”
On December 7, the group is holding a Christmas event at the Mayland Community College to help people in the area in need.
“They’re bringing a bunch of smokers,” Greene said. “They’re doing turkeys, hams, with all the trimmings and they’re feeding three counties. I think they have close to 2,000 people signed up for that right now.”
The event, called “Carolina Christmas,” will also feature games and activities for children. While the kids are playing, parents will be able to enter the college, which has set up classrooms as shopping centers for various age groups where parents can get gifts for free. Another room will be a dedicated wrapping station.
“They’ll be able to leave there with wrapped presents to bring home and put under the tree,” he said. “It’ll be like we were never even involved, which is the idea.”
Greene said that, upon hearing about this, he was inspired to collect gifts and donations and come back to North Carolina for the Dec. 7 event.
Milby said Greene reached out to him when he found out about the Carolina Christmas event.
“He called me and asked how they could help,” Milby said. “I told him that we needed toys for the kids, and he just stepped up to the plate and put out donation boxes everywhere. He’s been great, and he’s bringing a lot of toys to us.”
He became the contact point for all of the northern efforts, and helped establish drop off points throughout the state. Nine of the eighteen drop off points are in Fort Kent, with other Aroostook locations in Madawaska, Caribou and Presque Isle. Beyond Aroostook, there are three drop off points in Bangor, one in Old Town and another in Topsham. There is also a collection station at a church in New Hampshire.
Milby said it has been amazing to see people from across the country offer to help.
“To say that I was shocked is an understatement,” Milby said. “When I got a call that somebody from Maine was coming to help with what we’re doing here in North Carolina – and for him to be a part of it – I just thought it was amazing.”
The effort has been dubbed “Operation Sleigh Ride” because Greene will leave Fort Kent, at the top of the country, and gather gifts at the various drop off points on his way down to North Carolina. On the way, he will meet up with another group in Virginia and travel together. Virginia has about 14 drop off points for gifts, Greene said.
He will be traveling with his wife and kids, and two members of the church. They group headed out on Thursday, Dec. 5, according to a post on the Operation Sleigh Ride Facebook page, and plan to arrive in North Carolina on the following evening. They will begin traveling back on Sunday after the event.
Greene said this effort would not be possible without the help of all the people who donated, and all the volunteers helping in the various groups coming together on Dec. 7.
“I want to make it really clear that it’s not one or two people doing this,” he said. “It’s been hundreds of people that have come on board.”
Some have donated a single toy while another person donated 1,000 toys. Another donated a fuel card to help them drive down. He said this has been a massive community effort involving groups from Maine, New Hampshire, Virginia, and Kentucky.
“It’s going to be quite the flight,” he said, referring to the ‘Sleigh Ride’ down to North Carolina.
And in Fort Kent alone, Greene said the community response has been incredible.
“People are just coming out of the woodwork to donate and support,” he said. “It’s been incredible.”
The Fort Kent municipal building also had a drop off point for gifts, and Town Manager Suzie Paradis said it was a highly commendable and respected initiative in the community.
“The town of Fort Kent was pleased to be a part of this effort,” she said, “with many community members actively participating by dropping off donations. The support and generosity demonstrated by the residents showcased the strong sense of community and compassion in Fort Kent.”