Advertising, Marketing, Videography and Connecting Local Businesses with the Community
- LKNConnect & Associates
The visual images of devastation wrought by Tropical Storm Helene in western North Carolina have left many people shocked and speechless.
As a native of Hendersonville and a former critical care transport nurse, Shane Parker’s empathy for victims of the natural disaster runs deep. So the local business owner has launched an effort to help here in Lake Norman.
“The first thing I wanted to do was load up my truck and go up there (to the mountains) myself, but obviously that wasn’t possible,” said Parker. “So I’ve just been trying to figure out what we can do locally.”
Parker owns and operates Wyatt & Son Auctions in Mooresville, as well as the Motors America auto dealership at 183 E. Plaza Drive. He has leaned on connections within the trucking industry to station a semi-trailer at his car lot.
The goal is to accept donations and load the trailer up with critical supplies, then drive it to the Statesville Regional Airport this weekend so the items can be carried up to people in need in western North Carolina.
It will then be brought back to the car lot and filled repeatedly, as long as the relief effort is needed in the coming weeks.
Area residents are being asked to contribute bottled water, diapers, baby formula, baby bottles and wipes, generators, cooking fuel and stoves, canned goods, dry food, protein bars, toiletries, pet food, and first-aid supplies.
“One important thing to note is you don’t have to bring a truckload of stuff to us,” said Parker. “If it’s just one case of water or a few cans of food, it will all add up and we’ll take it up there.”
For those who want to donate but don’t have a way to bring their goods themselves, Parker’s team can dispatch a smaller trailer to pick it up at your home or business and bring it to the car lot. Call 704-677-7068 for more information.
“Even if we don’t have it fully loaded, we’ll go ahead and take the stuff (to Statesville) this weekend,” said Parker. “We’ll be going back and forth. We’ve got drivers who have donated their time and fuel, truckers who donated assets like the trailer, and a local sign company that donated the big red banner covering the trailer.”
Parker grew up in the mountains just 25 miles south of Asheville, and has regularly visited family and friends there for years, so he has deep ties to the area.
As a critical care transport nurse in 2005 in Raleigh, he was part of a medical team that received Hurricane Katrina evacuees from New Orleans. That experience left him with a powerful understanding of what survivors in western North Carolina are now going through.
“We had to triage them and figure out who they were,” he said of the Katrina survivors. “A lot of them had to leave loves ones and friends behind just to save their own lives.
“That was really tough to see those folks going through that.”
Parker has seen countless people on social media asking how to get involved in the relief effort. He hopes his car lot’s central location in Mooresville and proximity to Interstate 77 will make it a convenient drop-off spot.
“It just breaks my heart to see these people in need and understand what they’re going through,” he said. “So we put our brains together and mapped this out to make something good happen.”
For more information on the local relief effort, call 704-677-7068.
Michael Barrett is an experienced reporter with a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling. With a background in covering local news, community events, and human interest stories, Michael is committed to uncovering and sharing the narratives that matter most to his audience. Known for his engaging writing style and dedication to accuracy, he strives to inform, inspire, and connect readers through his work.
