Hurricane Helene made landfall on September 26, 2024 on Florida’s Big Bend as a Category 4. Days before the hurricane made landfall, the National Weather Service in North Carolina warned residents of the historic combination of heavy rain, life-threatening flooding, and catastrophic landslides. One of the areas of western North Carolina that was heavily impacted by this natural disaster was Marion, NC, the home of our partner company, Marion Machine.
Pulling Together to Help
On Wednesday, October 2nd, after hearing about the level of devastation being experienced in Marion, it was decided that Mellott was going to send a semi-truck of supplies to provide aid to those in the area. Supplies were needed by Marion residents as soon as possible, so time was of the essence. Donations from Mellott employees and the surrounding community began pouring in almost immediately. The semi-truck containing over 1200 cases of water, non-perishable food, and personal hygiene items, was filled and on its way to NC by Friday afternoon.
“I couldn’t believe what our team was able to pull off in such a short amount of time with help from the community surrounding Mellott. The overwhelming amount of supplies that were collected for our friends in Marion was nothing short of incredible!” — Jim Levy, Vice President of Service Development at Mellott.
Distributing Supplies to Marion and the Surrounding Area
Bankston’s Builders in Marion City Square graciously allowed us to use their parking lot as a distribution point for the supplies and Signal Hill Media Partners played a crucial role in helping us get the information out to those living in Marion and the surrounding communities via radio. The truck arrived safely in North Carolina the next morning and was met by many of our Marion Machine employees who were ready to lend a hand with unloading the truck and passing out the supplies.
“It was great that we could offer some relief to our local communities, but also heartbreaking to hear about the losses that so many people had experienced. I’m grateful for our team at Marion Machine and their families, who stepped up to help pull this off. I can’t begin to count how many showed up to receive supplies, but it was a constant flow of people from 9am to 4pm.” — Geoff Welcyng, General Manager of Southeastern Service and Operations at Marion Machine.
Staying True to our Core Values
Commitment is one of our company’s core values. In situations like this, our commitment to one another as co-workers really shines through. “Please keep our employees at Marion Machine, their families, and everyone affected by this disaster in your thoughts and prayers. We’re all in this together, and we will continue to do our best to support one another through these challenging times.”—Rich Blake, Mellott President & CEO
