Though they were seven hours away, their suffering felt like his own. He couldn’t bear the thought of watching his home swallowed by floodwaters, losing friends and family to a sudden disaster, or spending Thanksgiving alone,

Rising Light Relief is making sure people have meals and smiles this Thanksgiving despite the hardships in the recovery process.

They served 2,400 meals to residents in Burnsville and the surrounding communities on Thanksgiving Day. The nonprofit has been helping people in Western North Carolina since the beginning of October. In total, they've served over 350,000 meals in the state.

Virginia-based nonprofit Mercy Chefs will serve chef-prepared Thanksgiving meals to 2,000 residents in Burnsville, North Carolina. Since Oct. 1, Mercy Chefs have been in North Carolina helping victims of Hurricane Helene,