MARTINS FERRY — East Ohio Regional Hospital and The Experience Church are teaming up to help victims of Hurricane Helene in the greater Asheville, North Carolina, area while others across the region are also doing what they can to help.

EORH Chief Operating Officer Julie Ross said the recent devastation caught the attention of the entire country due to its severity, but it also caught the attention of countless residents of the Ohio Valley. She added that EORH put the word out that it would be filling an ambulance by taking donations to be distributed to the victims.

“The outreach has just been tremendous from our community, our employees and our patients,” Ross said. “What we thought would be one truckload will probably be six or seven truckloads. It really demonstrates the servant heart that our community and employees have.”

Ross added that community outreach is always important but crucial in times like these.

EORH practice coordinator Anna Penhos said the idea of donating supplies was thought of earlier last week but was put into action Wednesday, once the severity of the destruction was realized.

She added that EORH was able to team up with The Experience Church in St. Clairsville that already had a plan in action. The church is accepting donations that will be loaded onto a semi-truck that will be driven to North Carolina to distribute supplies to people in need.

“It far exceeded our expectations but nonetheless certainly shows the generosity and kindness of our community and our hospital here at East Ohio Regional Hospital,” Ross said.

EORH Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Schaffer added that he is continuing to pray for the victims affected, especially the ones who were not prepared for the hurricane.

“It hit Florida and we thought that was going to be the biggest part of it, but it settled over western North Carolina and eastern Georgia and made it a catastrophe,” he said. “We’re all trying to do our part — can’t be there physically, but we’ll send our prayers and what we can there.”

The Experience Church Pastor Tim Seidler said members of the church saw the devastation that Hurricane Helene caused and knew they needed to help.

“We feel like the church should be the people who step up when there’s a need even if it isn’t in our backyard,” he said.

EORH and The Experience Church both wanted to maximize their efforts and decided it would be most beneficial for both organizations to team up. Seidler said although the vastly populated areas hit by the hurricane are being shown on the news and are receiving help, he noticed that a lot of the smaller towns on the outskirts of the major areas are being overlooked. He made the comparison to the Ohio Valley for reference, saying that if someone wanted to help the Ohio Valley they would probably send the supplies to Wheeling because they wouldn’t be familiar with McMechen or Bethesda.

“Just like Jesus always goes for the overlooked and the lost, that’s what we’re doing. We’re going to help those towns as well. We’re really trying to connect with some of those people and get them what they need,” he said.

Although a specific location isn’t decided yet, Seidler said his goal is to connect with churches on the outskirts of Asheville, North Carolina, to deliver the supplies.

“What we believe here is the church should be the most generous place on the planet, and it’s not just for what you can get but what you can give,” he said. “Jesus said it’s better to give than to receive, and we believe that. We just want to be a community of givers, especially when there are people in dire need. We want to be the place that steps up and fills that need for people.”

Another individual that is stepping up to help Hurricane Helene victims is longtime Ohio Department of Transportation employee Jim Large. Large isn’t a part of any organization — his grandfather was from Bristol, Tennessee, and his mother came from Kernesville, North Carolina, so he has personal connections to the affected region. He began his journey to help by reaching out to family members in the area and asking what was needed.

Once Large received lists of what was needed, he proceeded to collect supplies at both the Union Local High School homecoming parade on Thursday and homecoming game on Friday. He also established a dropoff point at the Bel-Morr Market outside Belmont and at his father’s former hardware store along National Road.

Large received three trucks and trailers full of supplies to deliver to Evergreen Church in Erwin, Tennessee, with his friends Michael DeLaney and Tom Winland this past weekend.

He added that although his trip is complete, he plans to continue to collect supplies and distribute them to the people who need them.

“We’re looking at this as a continued effort. These mountains have forever been changed,” Large said. “These people would help us out in a heartbeat, and we’re returning the favor.”

Oil & Gas Safety Supply, located at the former Toys-R-Us outside the Ohio Valley Mall in St. Clairsville, is also accepting donations for its “North Carolina-Operation Airlift.” The operation is seeking shovels, axes, chain saws, new or used tools and other supplies. The store is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.