John,

It's been a harrowing few days as many of us across the South are recovering from Hurricane Helene, which caused catastrophic flooding and damage in the Southern Appalachian region we call home. Our organization is based in Asheville, North Carolina, as are many of our staff, and I'm relieved to share that everyone on our team is safe and accounted for. But many others have lost their lives to this storm and all of us hold that grief in our hearts. 

So many in our community – including our staff, friends, and neighbors – need help as we all recover from the damage and trauma caused by the storm.

In addition to continuing to deliver life-saving services through our Trans Youth Emergency Project in the wake of the hurricane, CSE is activating our deeply rooted networks to get supplies and support to folks who were hit hardest by the storm, including LGBTQ+ people. Many supporters have reached out to us asking how to help. 

Today, we are asking for donations to support CSE's hurricane relief efforts.

CSE staff are on the ground in Western NC, so your support will go directly to relief efforts like supplies deliveries, food and water distribution, and welfare checks. 

We are seeing extraordinary courage, life, and grit in action. Our team is so honored to be plugging into efforts to get essential supplies and resources to those in urgent need – a need that will go on for a long time as the search and rescue process continues, we await critical infrastructure coming back online, and we head into the recovery and rebuilding stages. We will get through this – as many other communities have – and we also need help. 

We will be sharing more about our relief efforts in the coming days. We're also sharing information and local resources on our Instagram stories, Facebook, and X/Twitter daily, so be sure to follow us there for real-time updates.

Thank you for your generosity and care as we work to stabilize and rebuild our community in the wake of this devastating storm. 

With love and gratitude,
Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara
She/Her
Executive Director
Campaign for Southern Equality