The wake of the storm: SD couple delivers Beef Bucks, volunteers following North Carolina hurricane 

After watching the devastation of Hurricane Helene unfold in September and October of this year, Merrill and Karen Karlen of Oacoma, South Dakota, were moved to take action – first through purchasing donated relief items, then later going all in as on-site volunteer workers. When their boots hit the ground in North Carolina in November they had with them $800 of Beef Bucks, sent straight from South Dakota to share a meal of healthy protein with those in need.  

The Karlens are retired from ranching and Karen’s career as a nurse. Merrill Karlen was previously president of the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association and the chairman of the South Dakota Beef Industry Council. “Karen is originally from Eastern Tennessee, and she really identifies with those people,” says Karlen. After witnessing a steady stream of pictures and videos of the devastation online, Karlen said they thought – “We’re not that busy and we’re still in good enough shape to do something, so we went.” 

Karlen contacted Nancy Montross, executive secretary of the Beef Bucks program, a South Dakota non-profit organization with the purpose of promoting the beef industry and educating consumers. Beef Bucks are prepaid checks or debit cards purchased to share beef as a gift or donation “without refrigeration.” They can be redeemed at grocery stores or restaurants for beef. The organization is governed by a volunteer board of seven directors. When asked about sharing beef with the hurricane region, the board of directors voted their support. “Some individuals even chipped in out of their own pockets to add to the donation,” says Montross.  

The Karlens flew into Greensboro, North Carolina, on Nov. 10, and spent a week volunteering with the United Carolinas Cavalry and Samaritan’s Purse. As part of the relief effort they witnessed first-hand the devastation of the hurricane, the overwhelming swell of support from citizen volunteers, and the wide gap of needs still left unanswered.  

“There was just incredible devastation,” says Karlen. Days prior to the hurricane the area had been hit with 12 inches of rain. The hurricane attacked with fierce winds and an additional 12 or more inches, causing widespread downed trees that clogged rivers and streams, exacerbated flooding and blocked and destroyed roads. People were trapped in small towns and villages without basic necessities.  

Karlen says when they arrived six weeks after the storm there was still massive devastation. “A lot of people were – and still are – living in tents in locations that I assume were where their houses had once been,” he says. 

Their day-to-day work as volunteers consisted of helping at the United Carolinas Cavalry donation collection warehouse in Statesville, then using their rental truck to deliver loads of requested supplies to outlying communities. By the time the Karlens were on site the main items requested were kerosene and propane heaters, blankets, winter coats and other cold weather supplies, but there were also more heart-jerking items like baby food, bottles and formula.   

“Most everywhere we delivered to was over an hour away – the roads were open by then, but they’re not great,” Karlen says. Roads were patched over with culverts and piles of dirt – passable, but not up to code by any means.  

They spent the last part of their time with Samaritan’s Purse, a nondenominational Christian relief organization led by Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham, in Boone, North Carolina.   

Along with helping with operations, the Karlens knew they needed to find the right place for the Beef Bucks. “On one of our deliveries we saw a church up on a hill that had a steady stream of people coming and going to get meals, and the next day I decided we would stop there,” Karlen says.  

They found out the relief center had been delivering 100 meals twice a day to people living in tents. 

“They were very appreciative for the Beef Bucks, we knew we found the right place and it was nice to be able to share at least one good meal with these people who had lost everything,” says Karlen. He said local grocery stores were open and stocked, and there were places where beef could be purchased as the volunteers were ready.  

Joel Amick is the executive director of United Carolinas Cavalry, a relief agency formed immediately after Hurricane Helene struck. It was initially a group of pilots in the region who volunteered as first-responders to deliver supplies to areas inaccessible by road. “We though we would be here a day or two, maybe three, until the big groups moved in and took over,” says Amick, who left his job in cybersecurity to donate his entire life to the relief effort. “They never showed up, and we are still here. We see no end in sight.”  

Amick and a group of three other officers formed a 501c3 and have been working endlessly – without any pay – to organize relief efforts. “The word I would use is ‘bleak,'” says Amick. “The news media has moved on and we aren’t in the national spotlight anymore, but unfortunately the recovery effort here is not linear.” Amick says his volunteer work will continue, and “I’ll figure out my bills later.” 

The United Carolinas Cavalry initially accepted donated items through an Amazon storefront and mobilized an army of volunteers to take requests and deliver supplies. They have since moved to rebuilding efforts, utilizing cash donations to purchase local construction supplies.  

“We’ve seen so much compassion from people across the country and across the state,” says Amick. “People turned out to help and they will never know the impact of what they have sent and done. It’s that spirit that drives us to keep doing this; to be the source of hope for the people of western North Carolina.” 

Relief donations in the western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee region are still desperately needed, as many families are still living in tents and seeking donated meals every day. To volunteer on the ground as the Karlens did, contact United Carolinas Cavalry through their Facebook page or register at Samaritan’s Purse through the Get Involved and U.S. Disaster Relief tabs. Both organizations also accept cash donations through their websites.