Appalachia native Dolly Parton stated Friday she is going to donate $1 million for Hurricane Helene aid efforts.
Parton stated the $1 million will go to the Mountain Methods Basis, a nonprofit group devoted to offering speedy help to Hurricane Helene flood victims.
“These are particular folks right here; they’re my folks,” Parton stated throughout an occasion saying the donation at a Walmart in Newport, Tennessee. “I really feel like all persons are my folks, however everybody right here grew up within the mountains similar to I did, so in fact I’ve an in depth connection to them. I can not stand to see anybody hurting, so I needed to do what I might to assist after these horrible floods.”
The nation music icon was born in Locust Ridge, Tennessee to a poor household dwelling deep in rural Appalachia — and Parton has usually written about her childhood and the area in her songs, together with hits akin to “Smoky Mountain Reminiscences” and “My Tennessee Mountain House.”
She was joined by Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner, who stated the corporate, together with Sam’s Membership and the Walmart Basis, would donate a complete of $10 million to hurricane aid efforts throughout the affected states. Parton’s related companies, together with Dollywood Parks & Resorts and The Dollywood Basis, additionally introduced they might match Parton’s donation with one other $1 million to the Mountain Methods Basis.
At the least 225 folks have been confirmed lifeless after Helene swept by the Southeast, and officers say they count on the dying toll to rise as restoration efforts proceed. Satellite tv for pc pictures confirmed massive areas of North Carolina devastated by the storm. President Biden stated Friday the work to rebuild the injury will value “billions of {dollars}.”
Parton stated she hopes her donations will encourage others to donate and help within the large restoration efforts.
“I hope we will all be a bit of bit of sunshine on this planet for our mates, our neighbors — even strangers — throughout this darkish time they’re experiencing.”