By Tanner Hood

Stark images of loss and destruction flickered across social media and news channels this fall as hurricanes Helene and Milton tore through parts of the eastern U.S.

When news of severe damage in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina reached Alabama farmer Matt Smith, he knew this was a chance to serve those in need.

“I felt that the Lord laid it on my heart to help,” said Smith, the St. Clair County Farmers Federation president. “I called Talladega County Farmers Federation President Justin Lackey and told him how I felt. He said he had the same thought, and we decided to mobilize a joint support effort.”

The project soon grew to include other county Farmers Federations with support from local businesses, schools, sports teams and companies.

Donations of bottled water, non-perishable food, toiletries, diapers and baby food poured in. Feed stores also supplied pallets of barbed wire, T-posts and feed for livestock and pets. 

“We collected two 18-wheeler loads of supplies but were discouraged to discover many items were turned away at state lines due to the influx of aid,” Smith said. “I went to a church meeting and learned about a children’s home in Black Mountain, North Carolina, that desperately needed support. Turns out, they needed very specific items that had been donated to us.”

Smith contacted home director Jimmy Harmon, who is originally from Alabama and has personal ties to the Alabama Farmers Federation. 

“He told me how awesome it was that God’s providence had connected us,” Smith said. “The response from all those who are suffering has been amazing.”

In the storm’s aftermath, Hale County farmer Bubba Drury and his partners in the Catfish Navy took off to feed community members in Valdosta, Georgia. The Catfish Navy trailer, which is equipped with cook stations and fryers, often travels to disaster areas. 

“We always try to go places where storms have affected people’s lives,” said Drury, a Hale County Farmers Federation board member. “We met wonderful folks who needed help and didn’t have anything to eat. The people in Valdosta were tickled to see us and loved getting a good, U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish meal.”

Thanks to support from the west Alabama community, the Catfish Navy received record-breaking donations. Those generous gifts helped team members and boots-on-the-ground volunteers feed almost 4,000 people over two days.  

“The Lord’s blessed us,” Drury said. “People wanted to donate, which also allowed us to go to Asheville, North Carolina. We felt a calling to go help. It’s hard to explain, but it makes you feel good to be able to give back.”

Other examples of assistance from the Alabama farm community included donations by the Walker County Farmers Federation to local church-led relief; a Coffee County Young Farmers trip to Florida to grill hamburgers for impacted residents; and peanut butter donations from the Alabama Peanut Producers Association. Countless volunteers have also quietly worked behind the scenes to serve and support their neighbors.

For Smith, gathering assistance was simply a way of passing along what had been given to him.

“It’s a blessing to be able to help,” Smith said. “I’ve learned when God lays something on you and nudges, you’ve got to listen. I credit Him. It’s been great to see our local folks rally around these people.”