Hey Y'all. As yall probably know, I'm from Appalachia. Western North Carolina. Unless you live off the grid, you're probably aware that Appalachia just got annihilated by hurricane Helene. Everyone here needs help, for cleanup, food, water, etc. Why? "The government hates Appalachia", we all say in unison. I don't usually post stuff like this, no, but it's really really important to me to get this out here.
I work at a little shop in downtown Marshall, which was recently submerged under 27 feet of water--to my knowledge thats 5 feet higher than the flood of 1916. The name of that shop is Of Wand and Earth; it's a little metaphysical shop and tea house. We sell all kinds of stuff--crystals, incense, tea, tarot, we do readings, we have a healing temple, and it's a community hangout spot for anyone. You name it. A big portion of proceeds we make from our sage goes straight to funding indigenous peoples foundations. This store does so much good for the community that if I listed it all, this post would go on and on and on.
My shop owner is an absolute blessing--I've known her since this shop got its beginnings, and I was able to finally, formally work here for two weeks before Helene hit.
I know everyone in downtown Marshall, much like a huge portion of Appalachia, needs help right now. I also know that finding reliable sources to donate to rn is kind of hard--but this one is legit. One of my boss' twin daughters made this gofundme.
The donations will go to helping clean and rebuild Artisun, located in Hot Springs, and Of Wand and Earth, located in Marshall (my boss owns both, and both stores are very similar). Funds will also go to helping the employees (like myself) and vendors that sell from both businesses.
If you show me proof of donation, no matter the amount, I'll do a digital sketch of any human character you want--oc, fandom, you name it.
I am trying to spread this as far as I can, so even if you can't donate, please consider giving this post a reblog. This shop means the world to me, as does my town and all of Appalachia. If the news isn't gonna talk about it, I will. If you need/want any proof that I work here and that this store is legit, please DM me. Here's the link:
Hi, my name is Lily Solomon, and I am from a tiny town in Western NC called… Lily Solomon needs your support for Support Our Resilient Co
Here's some photos of OWAE, and what it currently looks like as well.
