Samaritan’s Purse launches new program to supply furniture to disaster victims.
Waightstill and Dawn Avery neared the end of a challenging year after losing a precious family member when Hurricane Helene ripped through their community in Newland, North Carolina. Christmas tree farmers and construction workers by trade, the couple not only lost all of the contents of their home to four feet of mud and rainwater, but 60,000 trees were also swept away when the river between their house and farm overflowed.
“You have mixed emotions,” Dawn said, remembering the destruction from the storm. “You’re shocked, you cry. It’s 39 years of building your life. And then you’re exhausted and haven’t slept. There’s nothing else we could do.”
The Averys’ home of nearly four decades remained on its foundation, but the inside was destroyed. Small heirlooms and mementos had been swept away in the current, while their appliances and furniture were waterlogged. Thankfully, Waightstill’s construction company helped clear out the debris and rebuild the inside.
Waightstill and Dawn Avery lost most of their belongings during Hurricane Helene. A year later, Samaritan’s Purse delivered brand-new furniture for their reconstructed home.
But the home stood empty of any furnishings. They no longer owned a bed, couch, or kitchen table.
After visiting a Samaritan’s Purse response site near their home, Dawn and Waightstill applied for furniture. Once their home was livable, our team arrived at the Averys’ with a box truck full of brand-new furnishings: a queen bed set and pillows, mattress, dresser, sofa, loveseat, dining room table set, and side tables.
Furnishing More Homes
Samaritan’s Purse has been serving devastated homeowners like the Averys since Hurricane Helene tore through western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee in September 2024. After initially removing debris and mud from residences, our response has moved into a rebuild phase of replacing and repairing homes and other necessities. As a part of this effort, our new Furniture Assistance Program is supporting families who are starting over by providing them essential items, including bedframes, couches, and more.
As families begin to settle back into their new or renovated homes, this initiative aims to ease the burden of furnishing them and assist with the move-in process, all while presenting the hope of the Gospel.
“We’re not here to deliver furniture,” said Steven Taylor, a Samaritan’s Purse staffer. “We’re here to share the Gospel with as many people as we can and share the love of Christ with as many people as we can. And the furniture opens the door.
Samaritan’s Purse staffers unload a box truck full of furniture from local businesses for the Averys’ reconstructed home.
“In the process of us blessing this family with their furniture, we got to also bless a local business where we pick the furniture up from,” Taylor said. “They’re going to be able to pass this down from generation to generation to their families. And it’s always going to be a reminder of God’s faithfulness. It tells a story.”
The couple expressed their gratitude after seeing the furniture fill the empty rooms of their home.
“Today has been an absolute joyful gift,” Dawn said. “It is the first step of thinking, ‘OK, this could be home again.’ And the icing on the cake is when I went in [the bedroom] and there were sheets on the bed!”
The Averys receive a Billy Graham Training Center Bible from a Samaritan’s Purse staffer after the furniture was unloaded.
The Averys were prayed over by the team and given a signed Billy Graham Training Center Bible. Dawn had lost hers in the flood, but despite the disaster, God had moved in mighty ways.
“The Lord has a plan. I’m just waiting on His plan to come forth. And therefore, he brought Samaritan’s Purse today,” Dawn said. “It gives me hope again, knowing to be patient and just wait on Him and He’s going to order the steps.”
The Averys enjoy their new Bible at their new dining room table, both gifts from Samaritan’s Purse.
“What we’re restoring here is some semblance of normalcy,” said Samaritan’s Purse staff member Bruce Barker, who had moved the items into the Averys’ home. “A house becomes a home.”
Since its launch in March, the program has completed 130 furniture deliveries and to both mobile y new construction homes, gifted by Samaritan’s Purse. As the program continues to grow, lives are being impacted. Several people have given their lives to Christ as a result of the program. Please join us in praying for this effort as it grows and expands throughout the country, helping families turn houses into homes.
A year after Hurricane Helene flooded their home, Samaritan’s Purse staff gather with the Averys on their porch to present the Gospel.
