Dolly Parton Contributes to Hurricane Helene Relief Efforts

Dolly Parton is stepping up to aid areas devastated by the flood and storm in the wake of Helene's destruction. Together with her enterprises, including Dollywood Parks & Resorts, The Dollywood Foundation, Dolly Parton’s Stampede, and Pirates Voyage, she is collaborating with Walmart to deliver substantial donations aimed at flood relief throughout the Appalachian region.

The relief initiative was unveiled on Friday at a Walmart in Newport, Tennessee, where affected community members can access meals, showers, and laundry amenities after the unprecedented flooding. Present at the event, Parton expressed her struggle to comprehend the hurricane's havoc, which claimed over 200 lives and rendered numerous people homeless. "We're here to mend these broken hearts," she remarked, lamenting that she wished their gathering was under different circumstances.

Reflecting on the devastation in her native region, she pondered, "Who would have imagined such destruction in this neck of the woods—where I was born and bred, just a stone's throw away? These mountains, valleys, rivers, and people are my home."

Parton emphasized the personal significance of the cause, noting her relatives’ presence in the area. She found it heartbreaking, not only because of her family ties but because the community feels like her extended family. The calamity struck a chord with her, prompting a $1 million personal donation to the Mountain Ways Foundation, a charity focused on immediate assistance for Helene's victims. Her East Tennessee ventures, along with The Dollywood Foundation, pledged to match her donation with an additional $1 million.

At the event, Walmart U.S. President and CEO John Furner declared a $10 million donation from Walmart, including Sam’s Club and the Walmart Foundation, to support hurricane relief across impacted states.

The gargantuan Category 4 Hurricane Helene blazed a destructive path exceeding 500 miles across the Southeast, resulting in over 200 fatalities, marking it as the second most lethal hurricane on U.S. soil in the last half-century, following Hurricane Katrina. The National Weather Service described the deluge over the southern Appalachians as a once-in-a-millennium rainfall event. The torrents cascaded down the mountains, transforming slopes into catastrophic mudslides that obliterated homes. Water levels soared to unprecedented heights, demolishing bridges, roads, and houses, sending them downstream in an altered course.