Church’s nonprofit organization has purchased land in the state to assist displaced families
Through his charity Chief Cares, Eric Church will build homes for 100 North Carolina families displaced by Hurricane Helene last year. The nonprofit has purchased land in Avery County to start building homes with hopes to get people in them by Easter.
“It’s been a lot of work, but I’m excited to get people back to living a normal life in their community. That was the whole goal for this the entire time,” Church, a North Carolina native, says. “My message of this would be hope, and there’s a line in ‘Darkest Hour’ that says, ‘In your darkest hour, I’ll come runnin’.’ We’re comin’ and we’re closer now than we were.”
Church’s charitable fund is administered by The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, a registered nonprofit that has connected generosity with need by distributing more than $1.2 billion over the past three decades.
“We’ve come up with a Blueprint for the Blue Ridge. We are also helping to address longer term needs like creating jobs, rebuilding schools, and supporting local businesses. Often when disaster strikes, funds flow in from great people wanting to help, but when the world turns its eye to the next devastation, a lot can get lost and fall through the cracks. We are committed to the long-term rebuilding of these communities,” a message about the endeavor reads.
Avery County residents whose property has been either destroyed or severely damaged by Hurricane Helene may be eligible for assistance from Chief Cares.
To provide immediate relief following the devastation of Hurricane Helene while also providing ongoing funds to support a more resilient future for North Carolina, Church signed over all of his publishing royalties for his new song, “Darkest Hour,” to the people of North Carolina.
“This song, ‘Darkest Hour,’ was the best way I could think to try to help. We’ve been helping with boots on the ground efforts, but this is something that will live beyond just the immediate recovery. This is not a quick thing to fix, so hopefully ‘Darkest Hour’ will be able to contribute to that for a long time to come. This song goes to my home, North Carolina, now and forever.”
Concert For Carolina, led by Luke Combs, Eric Church, Billy Strings, and James Taylor, raised $24,513,185 and counting for Hurricane Helene relief efforts. The record-breaking October 2024 event welcomed 82,193 in-person attendees and is the largest concert ever for the venue. Additionally, the Veeps livestream garnered 7.1 million total views, which came from across all 50 U.S. states and 30 different countries.
Chief Cares was established by Eric and Katherine Church in 2013 to impact lives and make a difference not only in the United States but throughout the world. More than $10 million has been granted to 100-plus charitable organizations around the world.
Donations to Chief Cares have been utilized to provide support to underprivileged families and children throughout Tennessee and North Carolina. Internationally, gifts also have helped to supply beds and clothing to an orphanage in Nepal and create educational opportunities for children that otherwise would never have the chance to go to school; deliver bibles and aid to Haiti; provide operational financial assistance to the Humane Society’s no-kill animal shelters; and make an impact on additional causes close to Eric and Katherine’s hearts.
