(Please send us information about what folks -- on and off the island -- can do to help those who who need in in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene.  We welcome news about needed donations of cash and goods, special needs, fundraisers, and anything and everything that will assist islanders.  Send the information to editor@islandfreepress.org.)

Fun run and walk will benefit Really, Really Free Market

Kilmarlic Health and Racquet Club in Harbinger will host  a fun run/walk 5K and half-mile run/walk for kids to help the Really, Really Free Market on Hatteras Island on Saturday, Dec.3 at 10 a.m. The cost for adults is, $5, plus bring at least one item on the free market needs list. Kids are $3, plus something on the list. What you get is the run/walk, festive hat to wear during the event, pizza, soft drinks, beer, prizes, best costume awards and a great band.

Sign up on www.fsseries.com. Click on Running Events on the left border and then scroll down the page to Outer Banks Races and it is listed in December. 

For more information, contact Ed Beckley on 252-256-1084 and ejbeckleyjr@yahoo.com.

Students are collecting Christmas decorations for hurricane victims

Foster Mattingly and Victoria Gaskins, both seniors at Cape Hatteras Secondary School, are out to make sure that families in the villages of Rodanthe, Waves, and Salvo whose homes and belongings were lost or damaged in Hurricane Irene in August  have a brighter Christmas.

The students are active in the school’s DECA organization, which requires them to participate in competitive events.

Mattingly and Gaskins have chosen a community service project that will help out their neighbors in the tri-villages.

They figure that those islanders who lost everything – or almost everything—in the storm have also lost their Christmas decorations.

Their goal is to collect a full Christmas set for 30 families. This includes a Christmas tree, lights, ornaments, and a tree skirt. They have asked several large companies to donate lights, ornaments, or Christmas trees.  And they would also appreciate donations from residents and visitors.

Collection boxes have been placed at Spa Koru in Avon, East Carolina Bank in Avon,    Sun Realty in Avon, Surf or Sound Realty in Avon, Outer Beaches Realty in Avon,    Teach’s Lair in Hatteras, and RBC Bank in Buxton
 
The students also will accept monetary donations.  Checks should be made out  to CHSS DECA and can be mailed to P.O. Box 71, Buxton NC, 27920.

Donations can also be shipped to Irene's Giving Tree, 47468 Highway 12, Buxton, NC 27920.

For more information, contact Foster Mattingly at  mattinglyfo7911@daretolearn.org.

Kitty Hawk Kites donates to Hurricane Irene relief effort

In the first company-wide staff meeting held after Hurricane Irene carved a path of destruction across the Outer Banks, John Harris, founder and president of Kitty Hawk Kites, announced to his staff that the company would launch a coordinated campaign to collect relief supplies and raise money for those whose lives had been most severely impacted by the storm.

While four of his company’s Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island locations remained closed and inaccessible as a result of the damage to Highway 12, Harris said that all operating Kitty Hawk Kites, Kitty Hawk Surf Co., and Life is good locations would collect relief supplies and monetary donations that would then be given directly to the Outer Banks Interfaith Community Outreach. As a way of encouraging others to step-up contributions, Harris announced that his company would match, dollar for dollar, all in-store individual monetary donations up to $5,000.

Today, Oct. 14, as a result of the kindness of many who have given freely and anonymously, Harris announced that Kitty Hawk Kites has been able to deliver three van loads of donated items and match $3,738 in cash donations to the Outer Banks Interfaith Community Outreach, resulting in a total monetary donation of $7,476.

“It’s been amazing to see the generosity of locals and visitors,” said Heather Doyle, assistant manager at Kitty Hawk Kites in Nags Head. “People have been handing us money faster than we can ask them to donate.”

Kitty Hawk Kites’ events coordinator, Amanda Baker, who oversaw logistics for the relief campaign, said she’s seen donations of everything from clothes and mops to bug repellant and cat food.
All supply and monetary donations given to the Outer Banks Interfaith Community Outreach remain in Outer Banks communities. 

Hatteras village merchants raise money for tri-villages
 
Hatteras Island merchants, along with island residents and visitors, came together Tuesday, Sept. 20, in support of the Rodanthe, Waves, and Salvo communities with a benefit that netted $1,762. The merchants of the Beacon Shops -- Sue Jones of Izabelle's Closet, Richard Batterson, Tracy Whedbee, and Rebecca Dolan of Road's End Gallery and Wine Shop, and Happy Belly Ice Cream organized the event. Hot dogs were provided by Burrus Red & White Supermarket,. Pizza was donated by Rocco's, followed by ice cream, fudge, and smoothies from Happy Belly Ice Cream. Road's End Gallery and Wine Shop hosted a wine tasting and Izabelle's Closet put on a fashion show. There were raffles for gift certificates and merchandise donated from local businesses and distributors. The organizers want to thank Burrus Red & White, Rocco's, Risky Business Seafood, Coastal Beverage, Empire Distributors, Tryon Distributors, Country Vintnor Distributors, and Pepsi Bottling for their generosity and help in making this event so successful. They would also like to recognize their staff members -- Jan Scarborough, Dylan Farrow, and Chris Kersnick --who volunteered their time and energies to make this event happen for the benefit of our neighbors in the tri-villages.

Really Really Free Market open in Avon on Saturdays

Because of transportation issues for folks on the southern end of Hatteras Island, organizers of the Really, Really Free Market have decided to open up a second location at the Avon Volunteer Fire Department. This second market will be open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. from Oct. 8 until further notice.

The Salvo market will continue every day at the St. Waves Plaza location from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. until further notice. 

With two markets open, more volunteers are needed. Please call Jenn Augustson at 216-6558 to sign-up or for other questions.

Unemployment benefits available
 
Hyde County residents who lost their jobs or could not work because of Hurricane Irene are now able to apply for unemployment benefits, according to a release from the N.C. Employment Security Commission (ESC).

This applies to all workers, even those who are self-employed, such as fishermen.

Application deadlines are approaching, so those who qualify are urged to apply as soon as possible

To sign up or for more information, call N.C. ESC at 866-795-8877.

Hatteras village benefit rescheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 20


A group of merchants in Hatteras village are joining together for a fundraiser for the northern Hatteras villages of Rodanthe, Waves, and Salvo that took the most damage from Hurricane Irene.

The event was postponed for Saturday, Sept. 17, and has been rescheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 20, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Beacon Shops at Milepost 71 in Hatteras village.

There is no charge, but donations will be accepted for any and all of the events of the evening.  All funds raised will be donated to the Tri-Villages Assistance Fund.

Starting at 6 p.m., pizza and hot dogs will be served, along with free game playing at the Outer Banks Amusements arcade. A beer and wine tasting will follow at Road’s End Gallery and Wine Shop with many of the samples being provided by area distributors.

 A fashion show presented by Izabelle’s Closet will follow the wine tasting, and then there will be free ice cream, fudge, smoothies and ice cream cake provided by Happy Belly.

In addition to these shops, contributors include Rocco’s and Burrus Red & White Supermarket.

FEMA will setup a center at Fessenden Center

FEMA today opened a center at the Fessenden Center in Buxton to help residents and business owners understand and apply for the different types of aid that is available to them. A representative of the SBA will also be there.

The center is open from noon until 7 p.m. today, and from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.

Lowe’s donates cleanup supplies to Dare County

In the wake of Hurricane Irene, Lowe's Heroes in Eastern North Carolina and Southeastern Virginia will provide more than $50,000 worth of critically needed cleanup supplies to the Dare County Emergency Management team to assist with local recovery efforts. Dare County officials will distribute the supplies to residents in the county’s affected Outer Banks communities.

Lowe’s Heroes from Elizabeth City, N.C., and Lowe’s stores in Virginia Beach, East Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, West Chesapeake, Hampton, Norfolk and Portsmouth, Va., will dropped off the supplies on Friday, Sept. 9, at the Dare County Regional Airport in Manteo.

The supplies include more than 1,000 brooms, rakes and shovels, 1,100 gallons of bleach, 1,800 five-gallon pails, 22,000 pounds of pulverized lime and 33,000 trash bags.

The donation is part of Lowe’s pledge to donate $1 million to Hurricane Irene disaster relief and rebuilding efforts along the East Coast.  

“The residents of Dare County have displayed great resilience and unity in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene and the historic flooding it caused,” said Bill Valentine, regional vice president for Lowe’s. “Lowe’s asked Dare County officials how we can help, and they provided a list of critically needed supplies. We’re committed to working alongside our neighbors as many of them return to their homes this week to clean up and begin to rebuild their lives.”

 

Hurricane Irene recovery assistance is available
 
A growing number of disaster recovery programs and services are available in Dare County in the wake of Hurricane Irene.  This list was compiled by the staff of The Outer Banks Sentinel, http://obsentinel.womacknewspapers.com/.

The Dare County website (www.darenc.com) is offering recovery information online 24 hours per day. The website includes updated Hurricane Irene bulletins, Department of Public Health advisories, Dare County Schools information, and announcements about debris removal and trash pickup.

The Interfaith Community Outreach (ICO) is staffing a telephone information center to coordinate disaster relief services throughout Dare County. ICO also provides emergency gap services for food, utilities, transportation, shelter, medical care, home rehabilitation and child care and referrals to the Dare County Department of Social Services, Hotline and mental health providers. For information, assistance or to make a donation or volunteer, call (252) 475-5758 or (252) 475-5759.

Visitors who had made plans to travel to Hatteras Island and need help finding other accommodations may contact the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau at 1-877-629-4386 or visit www.outerbanks.org


FEMA Assistance

Individuals and businesses owners can now apply for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Available assistance includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from Hurricane Irene. To begin the application process, people are asked to register online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). A FEMA Disaster Recovery Center is open at the Dare County Center at 950 Marshall C. Collins Drive in Manteo. FEMA teams are going door to door in Dare County. An advisory from Dare County stressed that all FEMA personnel must have proper identification and residents are encouraged to ask for their identification.

Emergency food stamps

An emergency food stamps program soon will be started in Dare County, along with the other N.C. counties designated as "disaster counties" by President Obama. Call the Dare County Department of  Social Services at 475-5500.

Unemployment assistance

Disaster unemployment assistance is now available for people whose employment has been lost or interrupted due to Hurricane Irene. Self- employed individuals should call (866) 795-8877. Others should call (877) 841-9617. People may also apply online at www.ncesc.com or in person at the Employment Security Commission office located at 2522 South Croatan Highway in Nags Head.

Feeding programs and food pantries

The American Red Cross is providing hot meals at the Avon Volunteer Fire Department, the Rodanthe-Waves- Salvo Community Center and the Salvo Fire Department. The Buxton Methodist Church Food Pantry now open Tuesday and Wednesday from 1 to 3 p.m.

Transportation

Dare County is providing vans for transportation to points within Hatteras Island for people whose vehicles are inoperable because of  the storm. The vans are available at the Fessenden Center and the Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo Community Center. Contact the Chicamacomico Banks Volunteer Fire Department or the Buxton Volunteer Fire Department for this assistance.

Dare County is providing free transportation between Rodanthe and Hatteras village for residents to pick up groceries, medications, doctor visits, etc. Call (252) 475-5650 to schedule a pick-up time.

Help with cleanup

The North Carolina Baptist Men is working in cooperation with Manteo Baptist Church to provide cleanup from the storm. Call (704) 402-4920 for more information. Christ in Action is working in cooperation with Kitty Hawk Baptist Church to provide cleanup and tree removal. Call (703) 217-3144 for more information. Operation Blessing of Virginia Beach is providing cleanup and driveway repair. Call (757) 226-3433 for more information.


Donations

Food and supplies may be donated at the ICO temporary office at the Outer Banks YMCA in Nags Head. These will be delivered to Hatteras Island and other locations in need.

Monetary donations may be sent to the Outer Banks Community Foundation by mail to 13 Skyline Road, Southern Shores, NC 27949 (designate "Disaster" on check memo line) or online to www.obcf.org.

All donations will be applied to emergency needs on the Outer Banks.

Large amounts (truck loads or large items) can be sent to the staging area at Dare County Regional Airport in Manteo.

NCBBA donates to disaster relief, will match member donations

The North Carolina Beach Buggy Association Board of Directors approved an immediate $2,000 donation to help the folks on Hatteras Island, and, in addition, the NCBBA will match  members’ donations up to an additional $5,000. Also, one member increased the amount an additional $1,000 for a total of $6,000.

The NCBBA board also decided that the donations should go to The Outer Banks Community Foundation, which is accepting donations through its Disaster Relief Fund. OBCF is part of Dare County's emergency management plan and is the organization that handles all financial contributions for disasters in the county. One hundred percent of the contributions are given as grants to a local nonprofit that have been designated by the county to coordinate volunteers and to meet specific recovery needs.

Below is a link to the NCBBA website if anyone is interested in making a donation.

http://ncbbaonline.com/contribute.html

Contribute to a local effort for provide meals

Dawn Chitwood Rivers, owner of Kaia’s Kitchen and Market in Hatteras village, got a phone call from an off-island property owner and customer, just a few days after Hurricane Irene ripped up the northern parts of Hatteras Island. Out of that one phone call has grown a movement on the island to provide food for folks who need it and put some restaurant employees back to work.

Restaurants participating, in addition to Kaia’s, Sandbar and Grille, Teach’s, Rocco’s, Finnegan’s, Harbor Deli, Nino’s, and Sticky Bottom Produce Market have joined the effort.

Rivers says that this is the way it works:

People may purchase platters of food, which are being delivered to the tri-villages and Avon to displaced residents, rescue and service workers, volunteers, and homes in the Hatteras Island Meals program.

A $50 donation purchases enough food for 15 people, $100 feeds 30, and so on.

Donations are also being spread to other open restaurants and grocery stores in the community, and the group has taken food donations from several businesses as well.

“We’re creating jobs,” Rivers said.

Kaia’s has six paid workers preparing food.

“The more donations, the more money that is injected into local businesses, jobs are created, and most importantly those in need are receiving prepared meals in hopes that we can ease a little bit of their worries in this desperate time,” she said. “So far we have made enough food to serve over 1000 meals.

If you want to donate, you can click here for the Helping Hatteras Island Irene Victims Facebook donation site, which accepts PayPal.

Rivers will also accept checks.  You can reach her at (252) 305-0357.

Jennette’s Pier launches donation drive

During the entire month of September, the staff of Jennette's Pier will be collecting essential items to distribute to families of Dare County who are in need after Hurricane Irene.

These items include back to school supplies, plastic totes, cleaning supplies such as bleach; linens, blankets, clothing including sox and shoes. White rubber boots are also needed as are personal items like shampoo and soap.

These items will be distributed “by locals for locals,” according to Education Coordinator Christen Brown who is spearheading the project.

Just bring your items to the front desk inside the pier house or ask a staff member for assistance, she said.

For more information, call Brown at 252-1255-1501, ext. 207.

Really Really Free Market open everyday in Salvo

The Kinnakeet Civic Association’s Really Really Free Market will be today and everyday until further notice at 26006 St. Waves Plaza in Salvo from 1-3 p.m. Thank you, Suzette Calderia, for securing the facility! Thank you to Dillon's Corner for collecting items to donate. If anyone has donations, they can be dropped off at the new Free Market location, 26006 St Waves Plaza in Salvo between the hours of 1-3 p.m.  Volunteers are needed to during the event. Please contact Maggie Dawson at 216-7118 to sign up.

Alita Carroll is making a trip up there Tuesday and will be happy to carry up any donations (see below what is needed) - call her at 995-6643.
 

• bug spray
• sunscreen
• shampoo and conditioner
• socks
• shoes
• clothing
• baby care items
• towels
• blankets
• sheets
• cleaning supplies~especially bleach and trash bags
• storage totes

 
EVERYTHING WILL BE FREE AND EVERYONE is welcome to stop by and browse the items available.

Hatteras Island United Methodist Men
 
The United Methodist Men provide year-round help to the people of Hatteras Island with a food pantry and emergency financial help.  Now they will be called on to help not only those who have been hurt by the economic downturn, but also those who have lost homes, belongings, or income because of Hurricane Irene.  You can email your tax-deductible cash donations for the food pantry and emergency fund to United Methodist Men, P.O. Box 1591, Buxton, NC 27920.