Charlotte Motor Speedway shifts their donation focus as they continue delivering supplies to WNC
Oct 31, 2024
CONCORD, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — “It's not that they don't necessarily still need donations, it's that the donations and what they need has changed a little bit,” said Jonathan Coleman, senior director of communications at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Since Helene has come and gone, those trying to get back to normal have gone from needing electricity and water to winter clothes, camping equipment, space heaters and propane.
Coleman says organizations in the mountains have started reaching out to them directly with a list of primary needs. Rather than consolidating donations at the Wilkesboro Speedway, they're delivering truckloads packed intentionally for various organizations.
“Four of these trailers behind us are actually headed out tomorrow,” Coleman told Queen City News. “Two to Swananoa and two to Banner Elk directly to agencies that have reached out to us and said, 'we still need x, y, and z.'”
If that X, Y, or Z happens to be chips or crackers, Campbell Snacks has it covered with a truckload of items from the local Lance Crackers facility.
“We got some really good stuff out here,” said site logistics manager at Campbell Snacks Justin Federico. “So, we got some Cape Cod potato chips, which are made right in Charlotte. We got some waves potato chips; we got some lance crackers. So, we got we got a couple of different varieties for everybody. “
It's the second truckload the company has delivered to the speedway since the storm.
“We do a lot of good things for the community,” Federico said, “but this is this is really good. I mean, I can't tell you how proud I am to work for an organization that is willing to help the community out when we need.”
The Charlotte Motor Speedway has collected 25 tractor-trailers of donations in the past four plus weeks, amounting to roughly 650 pallets of food, water, clothes, propane tanks, etc. While Wednesday was their last official donation drop-off, they're hoping people will continue to support those who are hurting.
“That need will be there,” Coleman said. “What we don't want to do is burden people who already have too much water or too many clothes or those sorts of things.”