This was a year of challenge for Mitchell-Yancey Habitat. We started with a project underway for a home in Burnsville and a planned upgrade to our ReStore in Spruce Pine. Hurricane Helene’s devastation of the town of Spruce Pine closed the store and found our volunteers and staff with their own problems while repair needs in the community skyrocketed. We had to quickly adapt, and we worked hard to clean up and help our community. We partnered with churches and other groups to share resources and get repairs done, cleaned and reopened the ReStore as a distribution center for emergency supplies, and kept our construction project going to completion and provide a new house to our partner. Our work helped the community remain strong through the largest natural disaster this area has ever seen. We demonstrated the Habitat vision to “build strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter”.