Knoxville Wholesale Furniture donates $1M to Samaritan's Purse for hurricane recovery
'It was right here in our backyard in East Tennessee. People in Newport, Cocke County, different counties. Plus, North Carolina. We're in the furniture business. North Carolina is the hub of the furniture business. [I] Made a couple of trips over there and saw it firsthand. We knew the need was great,' said Knoxville Wholesale Furniture President Tim Harris. 'I talked it over with my son one day and said, 'we need to do something substantial here.' We have always been a big fan of Samaritan's Purse because they help people in desperate need in Jesus' name. That fits both profiles of what we like to do.'
'We lost our home, our clothes, our everything': Family recovering from Helene with help from Samaritan's Purse
6 News has shared stories of people like Dina and Dumitru Gyska, who received a commercial van free of charge from Samaritan's Purse after their home and business was decimated by flood waters.
'We checked them out. They limit their overhead to eleven or twelve percent. So, almost all of the money goes directly to people,' Harris said. 'I called a lot of my friends after a month. I said who is doing the best job here. It was unanimous. Five different people without prompting said them first and then they said local churches.'
'I have really enjoyed volunteering with them because I feel like this is where God wants me to be,' said Sarah Rutland, a Samaritan's Purse volunteer from Niota.
North Carolina woman getting new home after property flooded during Helene
'I could cry over some of these stories. Just the selfless sacrifice,' Harris said. 'There are some people who picked up and moved over there. They're still over there today, helping these people.'
Harris said that this represents the company's single largest donation ever. In addition to the direct donation, Knoxville Wholesale Furniture has led a fundraising campaign to raise additional funds for relief. If you're looking to help with recovery in the aftermath of Helene, visit SamaritansPurse.org/WATE.
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