Choosing Gratitude

As 2024 comes to a close, I want to pause and express my thanks. When I look back on this year, we do have much to be grateful for. We have been blessed with the support of the community and have been recognized for our forty years of service. We are fortunate to have survived a thousand-year flood driven by Hurricane Helene. This event we will remember for the rest of our lives. We will also continue for the next few years to work on the recovery from the devastation of this storm.

Out of this storm, we have built new relationships, brought in new foundation funding and reached across multiple states, as people came to the aid of this region. On our most exhausting days, with generators fueling the few lights we could run, people wandered through our building, looking dazed at times and overwhelmed. When we thought our backs could not unload one more truck, another pulled up, filled to the gates with supplies to share with the community. We are grateful for their generosity and for the hugs that many gave, all the way from Coastal Charleston, Georgia, Alabama, New York, Ohio and so many other places I cannot remember them all.

We navigated these deliveries, took stock, arranged volunteer teams, prepared for long-term recovery, and continued to fully operate a shelter, thirteen housing programs and three food access programs for weeks on end, without a break. Abundance can be a burden or a gift. You have a choice to think beyond the moment you are in and see the months down the road when we will once again experience the need for blankets, coats, towels, socks, diapers, canned food, and yes, even bottled water.

This year, each time we put out a call, the community responded in abundance. When shelves were bare, the need as met. When critical hurricane relief supplies needed delivering from our outpost (also known as our Watauga Housing & Outreach Center) to Newland, Creston, Crumple, Burnsville, Sugar Grove, Banner Elk, and Spruce Pine, people showed up. When extra supply storage was needed, it showed up in the form of home garages and tractor trailers. In the middle of of this new chaos, we have not lost sight of our goal of ensuring that each person has an opportunity to thrive in a safe, stable home of their own. In seasons like this you must shift to meet the immediate need of your community as you also prepare for long-term recovery. 

So, as we reflect on this past year, there is an opportunity to choose gratitude while not forgetting the pain and challenges that surround us. We continue to work hard; it has been overwhelming this year. 

This season we chose gratitude. 

Executive Director Tina B. Krause

I am grateful for the strength of our staff and the gifts they bring to work every day. I am also grateful to the people who enter our doors. On days that the paperwork and meetings cause your joy to dampen, there is always a hug or greeting from someone who is part of our services. They recognize when we need encouragement too, and they are quick to step forward. This season I am grateful for all of these things.

In closing, I want to thank you for giving your support and care to Hospitality House of Northwest N.C. I hope you know how much it means to the staff and the people we serve. Recently, as I was leaving the Brook Hollow Complex, a 76-year-old widow who lost her home stopped me. She took my hand and asked, "How are you doing, are you feeling better?" She said, "I just want to thank you for making sure we have a place to stay and for the staff who are so nice to us." 

It was a sweet reminder that this is important work and that we are making a difference for our neighbors. So as 2024 comes to an end, I pass along that sweet "thank you" to you.

In gratitude,

Tina B. Krause

Executive Director