Stepping up big time.
Last fall, Eric Church and Luke Combs hosted their Concert For Carolina benefit show, which ended up raising over $24.5 million for residents in western North Carolina that were devastated by historic flooding from Hurricane Helene. Of course, both Eric and Luke have very personal ties to the area, as Luke grew up in Asheville from the time he was eight years old. Eric grew up in Granite Falls, which sits in the foothills of the mountains, and both are Appalachian State University alumni.
Church has already purchased the land in Avery county where the homes will be built, and they’re getting ready to break ground next month to hopefully have people moved in by this summer. They also now have an office set up at Newland Town Hall to help expedite the process as much as possible, and they plan to put about 50 homes on the plot of land just outside of Newland, North Carolina.
In a new story by local station WBTV, reporter Ron Lee visited the land where construction is set to take place, though they first have to install water, sewer and power before the manufactured homes can be brought up the mountain.
It was six months to the day today that Hurricane Helene officially made landfall, changing western North Carolina forever, and local resident John Blackburn had tears in his eyes as he talked to Lee about the devastation:
“I’ve lived here all my life, it was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever seen. I was worried that we’d never, ever recover. It felt like that was my life’s mission, what I should be doing. He has grown up in the mountains and loved the mountain folks. Will it be the same? No. We hope it will be better.
In fact, the idea of this new community that Church is helping build has been so popular in the area that they’ve already sold out of all of the plots before even breaking ground, and Eric’s foundation Chief Cares says they’re already looking at buying additional land close by to help even more local residents.
While Eric is gearing up to release a new album Evangeline vs. The Machine on May 2nd, it’s clear that this new project is a huge priority and will continue to be a focus for his foundation for a long time to come. The fact that they’re breaking ground next month is so exciting for all of those who have been displaced by the hurricane, and I can’t wait to see it come together and impact so many lives in a positive way.
Eric recently called Concert for Carolina “the greatest concert I’ve ever played,” and it’s clear that he’s putting his money where his mouth is, so to speak, and then some:
“That song had the chance to change things—it already has. The greatest concert I’ve ever played was the Concert for Carolina – that’s the greatest thing I’ve been involved with. This song played a big part of that night and is a rallying cry for the people there that still need a lot of help. As a person who writes and performs a song, seeing it truly impact people’s lives is the greatest thing you can hope to accomplish.”
It’s true that music is medicine, and to see Eric, along with Luke Combs, using it, as well as their very large platforms, to do so much good is remarkable and admirable, to say the least. He’s doing way more than anyone could’ve ever expected, and continues to go above and beyond for the people and place that he loves so dearly.
You can check out more on the story here:
