Franklin Graham joins staff to encourage recovering mountain residents, gifting much needed cars and trucks to storm-devastated families.
Samaritan’s Purse continues to support families in North Carolina and Tennessee still reeling after Hurricane Helene, the storm that devastated the region in late September 2024.
Franklin Graham shares a joyful moment with a grateful North Carolina resident.
“These vehicles are provided by God’s people in Jesus’ Name,” said Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham during a dedication of eleven vehicles to survivors of the hurricane.
Harry Varney lost coworkers on the night when he and others narrowly escaped the factory where they worked. Survivors rode out the flood of Hurricane Helene on a large PVC pipe.
His employer was wiped out in the flood and his work vehicle was ruined. He relied on that automobile to pursue future employment and to carry tools for jobs he did around the community.
Harry Varney and his family are celebrating God’s goodness in the wake of the storm.
“I’m not just lucky,” he said. “I’m blessed by God. He poured out blessing on us after the storm.”
Those blessings include the new Toyota Tacoma pickup truck provided to him by Samaritan’s Purse on April 10 at Alliance Bible Fellowship in Boone, North Carolina.
Since Hurricane Helene ravaged the mountains last year, Samaritan’s Purse has cleaned up homes and properties, provided campers, replaced mobile homes, started rebuild efforts, and replaced 180 vehicles as of today. Most important, we thank God for the scores of people who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior through the witness of staff members, chaplains, and volunteers.
Our staff prays for and encourages Zack Sparks.
Zack Sparks, an Iraq War Army Veteran, lost his 1996 Chevy S-10 pickup—a vehicle that helped him do his tree work and also provided transportation to doctor’s appointments at the Veterans Affairs hospital. Today he received a Chevy Colorado to replace the truck destroyed by the storm.
“Those appointments have helped me heal from what I experienced during the war, and they’ve helped me deal with what we experienced during the storm,” said the Spruce Pine, North Carolina resident, recounting how explosions and splintering wood during the storm reminded him of combat overseas. “This truck is a real blessing to me.”
Franklin Graham prays with one of eleven beneficiaries of our vehicle replacement program.
Each family who received a new vehicle also received a special Billy Graham Training Center Bible signed by Samaritan’s Purse staff members serving in the area. A Samaritan’s Purse staffer also shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with each beneficiary.
“Just like you took it on faith that you’d receive a vehicle today if you showed up, God extends the gift of salvation to you,” John Musick said. “You have to receive it on faith.”
Franklin Graham and other Samaritan’s Purse staff gathered with homeowners at Alliance Bible Fellowship in Boone, North Carolina, to dedicate new cars and trucks replacing those damaged in the storm.
