Native to Appalachia Dolly Parton said Friday she will donate $1 million for it Hurricane Helene relief efforts.
Parton said the $1 million will go to the Mountain Ways Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing immediate relief to Hurricane Helene victims.
‘These are special people here; they are my people Parton said at an event announcing the donation at a Walmart in Newport, Tennessee. “I feel like all people are my people, but everyone here grew up in the mountains, just like me, so of course I have a close bond with them. I can’t stand to see anyone hurt, so I wanted do what I could to help after these terrible floods.”
The country music icon was born in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, to a poor family living deep in rural Appalachia. Parton has often written about her childhood and the region in her songs, including hits such as “Smoky Mountain Memories” and “My Tennessee Mountain.” At home.”
She was joined by Walmart’s U.S. CEO John Furner, who said the company, including Sam’s Club and the Walmart Foundation, would donate a total of $10 million to hurricane relief efforts in affected states. Parton’s affiliates, including Dollywood Parks & Resorts and The Dollywood Foundation, also announced they would match Parton’s donation with an additional $1 million to the Mountain Ways Foundation.
At least 225 people have since died Helene moved through the southeastand officials say they expect the death toll to rise as recovery efforts continue. Satellite images showed large areas of North Carolina destroyed by the storm. President Biden said Friday that the work to rebuild the damage will cost “billions of dollars.”
Parton said she hopes her donations will inspire others to donate and help with the massive recovery efforts.
“I hope we can all be a little bit of light in the world for our friends, our neighbors – even strangers – in this dark time they are going through.”
