Church, who grew up in Granite Falls, pledged to build 100 homes for Avery County residents displaced by Hurricane Helene.
AVERY COUNTY, N.C. — Country music superstar and North Carolina native Eric Church is making headway on his promise to build 100 homes for the people of Avery County in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Church’s nonprofit, Chief Cares, closed on land in Avery County Wednesday that will eventually be a brand-new neighborhood with 40 to 50 homes for displaced flood victims. Church’s organization hopes to break ground in April to have people in their new homes by June.
Church announced the plan during a visit to Banner Elk with former Gov. Roy Cooper last October. He stressed the importance of keeping people in their community rather than relocating somewhere else.
“The sense of community, I know how strong that is because I’ve been here,” Church said. “We’re going to try to keep people in their community. Give them a home where their church is, where their school is, so they continue to build it from the inside out.”
As part of his commitment to helping western North Carolina rebuild, Church signed over the publishing rights to his song “Darkest Hour” to the state. Granite Falls, Church’s hometown, is about 30 miles south of Blowing Rock. He attended Appalachian State University and is a self-proclaimed Tar Heels basketball fan.
Church and fellow North Carolinian Luke Combs headlined the Concert for Carolina benefit show at Bank of America Stadium, where a record crowd of over 82,000 fans raised more than $24 million for Helene relief efforts.
