High Socks for Hope is helping Hurricane Helene victims rebuild
Hurricane Helene flooded thousands of houses and apartments. As victims return to their homes, many will face mold issues, an issue High Socks for Hope is helping them fight.
The kits contain sprayers, drywall saws, respirators, gloves, cleaner and mold killer. The items typically cost over $300, and High Socks is footing the bill to help those victims rebuild.
"We want to focus on the long term," Judy Holland said. "We want to focus on what happens after the rescue and all that happens."
Holland has spent 13 years working for High Socks for Hope and helps distribute items like the mold kits. The organization also helps refurnish the flooded homes.
When Holland says they focus on the long term, often that means years.
"A lot of the people that we're dealing with did not have insurance because they lived inland, and they were not even eligible for it," she said. "We hope we can be there from now for years. We'll be working for years in these areas to help them rebuild."
Former University of Alabama baseball player David Robertson founded High Socks for Hope after the 2011 tornadoes in Tuscaloosa. What he intended to be a temporary project has grown and helped over 15,000 families rebuild.
"We decided at in Tuscaloosa that the furniture need was huge and we wanted to keep doing that," Holland said. "We wanted to make sure people had a bed to sleep in. If you have a bed and you have these basic items like the kitchen and bathroom items, that'll get you started."
Holland said they'll send the first 1,500 kits to northern Georgia next week. They hope to send at least 2,000 more to other affected areas. All of High Socks for Hope's work is funded by community donations.