BOONE, N.C. — N.C. Baptists on Mission is receiving $3 million in state government funding to assist with ongoing rebuild efforts in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene, N.C. Gov. Josh Stein announced on Friday, Jan. 31.

The announcement of the $3 million grant for Baptists on Mission came during an appearance by the governor at the Boone Chamber of Commerce in which he announced a $30 million public-private partnership to fund grants for small businesses impacted by Helene.

During his remarks to media members and other gathered officials, Stein also announced that he was awarding $3 million to Baptists on Mission and $3 million to Habitat for Humanity of North Carolina to support each organization’s home rebuild initiatives.

“Baptists on Mission’s plan is to stay here for as many years as it takes to help the people of western North Carolina rebuild,” Stein said. “They are among the unsung heroes here out west, and I think we need to help them keep doing what they’re doing, and we need to support their efforts. That’s why I’m announcing a $3 million grant to Baptists on Mission to continue their emergency rapid repair projects.

“The money will help them purchase building materials that their volunteers can then install to help homeowners get back into their properties as quickly as possible in a safe, habitable condition.”

Baptists on Mission officials have established seven centers across western North Carolina that can house volunteers and will serve as bases of operation for long-term rebuild efforts throughout the region. Baptists on Mission officials have committed to rebuilding homes in western North Carolina over the next four to six years.

“Our volunteers are working day in and day out to get homeowners back into their homes as quickly as possible,” said Richard Brunson, executive director of Baptists on Mission, who joined Stein at Friday’s announcement. “We are grateful for Gov. Stein’s support to ensure this work can continue to help the people of western North Carolina recover from this devastating storm.”

Brunson also thanked Stein for his recent hands-on involvement in Helene-related rebuild efforts.

Over the extended Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, Stein and members of his cabinet volunteered at a number of organizations in western North Carolina. One of those groups was Baptists on Mission, where Stein toured a rebuild center in Spruce Pine and joined a group of volunteers to work on the storm-ravaged home of a local resident named Barbara.

“I heard from our team that he was one of the best people they had putting up Sheetrock,” Brunson said of Stein.

The $3 million grant announcement came just days after officials with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina announced at the organization’s board of directors meeting earlier in the week that $20 million had been contributed toward N.C. Baptist response efforts since Hurricane Helene struck the state in late September 2024.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — K. Brown with N.C. Baptists on Mission contributed to this article with on-the-ground reporting from Boone, N.C.)