Severe weather passed through eastern North Carolina on Monday night, with a tornado touching down in Beaufort County. Early Tuesday morning, Catholic Charities staff began responding to this disaster by reaching out to the local parish and food pantries in Belhaven, where some of the worst damage occurred.
Staff worked to identify families who were affected by the tornado and needed assistance. Minor injuries were reported along with damage to housing and loss of power, which caused refrigerated food items to be lost. Joe DiGeloromo, a family case manager with Catholic Charities, is working with a local food pantry to assist families affected in the Belhaven area.
Catholic Charities will be providing families with food gift cards to help replace food that was lost due to the power outages. Funding has been provided out of the Lenten Rice Bowl collection. Those wishing to make a donation to help with Catholic Charities disaster response efforts, please contact Gary Skinner at (919) 821-9752.