We often talk about the importance of building relationships before disaster strikes. Usually, that conversation revolves around emergency management and other nonprofits. For this article, let’s shift the focus to our relationships with local businesses and why those connections matter long before we ever need anything.

 

Business owners and executives do not love being surprised with sudden requests for free goods or last-minute support. That makes perfect sense. Many local businesses have already given far more than they could reasonably afford in the aftermath of Helene, all in the hope of helping this community get back on its feet. The truth is, the region is feeling “gived out”, yet the work is still far from finished.

 

Grounded Boots Relief cannot operate in isolation. Even when it looks like a single pair of hands doing the work, the truth is that every deployment is powered by a long chain of people who believe in the mission. Donations from individuals, organizations, and businesses keep fuel in the truck, gas in the chainsaws, and food in the hands of our team while we work. Without that support, there is no deployment, no response, and no impact.

This is why we have been visiting local businesses, not to ask for anything, but simply to introduce ourselves. We want owners and managers to know who we are, what we do, and how to reach us if they ever want to be part of our efforts. Connections made now become partnerships later. Whether it is a powersports dealership, a camping equipment manufacturer, a church, a hospital, or any business in between, building relationships early creates a foundation of trust that strengthens the entire community.

 

These conversations matter. They shape the future of how we respond and how far our reach can extend.

This past week, Grounded Boots Relief stepped up to support a neighbor in need. Polk Referral Center, a nonprofit we have been collaborating with in Polk County, connected us with *Chuck, a community member whose mobility is significantly limited. Chuck now uses a wheelchair and can no longer manage the chainsaw work he once handled himself. Several trees on his property posed a risk to his home and to his ability to safely access the road during emergencies.

On Saturday, our volunteers arrived with saws, safety gear, and the determination to get the job done. The team felled a few trees around Chuck's home and cleared enough debris to improve access to the driveway. The work is not finished yet. There are logs that still need to be dissected and additional limbs that need to be removed. A few of the remaining trees require careful attention, and we will need a mini excavator to guide them safely into proper landing zones.

The mission continues on Saturday, November 29. We will be returning to Chuck's property for a follow-up workday, and volunteers are welcome to join. If you are looking to burn off some of Thursday’s turkey or simply want to lend a hand, this is exactly the kind of work Grounded Boots Relief is built for.

You can RSVP through this link:
https://www.facebook.com/share/1Ea4N7YuLC/

We will provide water, snacks, and sandwiches based on the number of RSVPs. Bring gloves, sturdy shoes, and the willingness to help a neighbor who cannot do this work alone.

This is what community care looks like in action.

*Chuck is an alias used to protect the resident’s privacy.  

The Most Dangerous Thanksgiving Trend
Turkey fryers cause an average of 5 deaths, 60 injuries, and more than 15 million dollars in property damage every year, and the danger is so severe that Underwriter Laboratories refuses to safety certify a single turkey fryer on the market.  
Source: FDNYSmart.org

This one is about what I'm thankful for: It's a long one, so buckle in.

About this time last year, I was sitting around a table with good friends, eating good food, and pretending I understand why people serve cranberry sauce as an entrée side. Grounded Boots Relief was still in its earliest days. We had ideas, we had energy, and we had a sense that something important was beginning. I am already looking forward to next Thanksgiving, when I can look back on this one and see how far we traveled in twelve more months.

 

A lot has happened since last year. Anyone who has ever launched a nonprofit knows the first twelve months feel like being dropped into a maze with a blindfold and told to “walk confidently.” Everything is paperwork, planning, doubt, stumbling, growth, and more paperwork. Yet here we are, standing on solid ground because people like you believed in the mission.

 

I said last week that I am grateful for you. The readers, the donors, the volunteers, the ones who tell your friends we exist. That gratitude is still very real, so let me round it out with a few more things that come to mind.

 

I am grateful for the connectors. Not everyone can be “the guy,” but the guy who knows a guy is often just as important. These people are the secret air ducts in the building of life.

 

I am grateful for businesses that believed in us before we had a track record. Blind trust is not a common currency these days, and yet they handed some to us anyway. The reputation we built since then is a reflection of that early faith.

 

I am grateful for nonprofits. I started off as a skeptic. I pushed against creating Grounded Boots Relief because I did not want to become another nonprofit in a world where people question motives. But the reality is that many nonprofits are headed by people who refuse to take a paycheck until they feel they have earned it and the organizations are on their feet. People who quietly do the work because someone has to. Grounded Boots Relief fits that category, and I am proud of that.

 

I am grateful for the nonprofits whose entire mission is helping other nonprofits figure out how to do this work without spontaneously combusting. They are the unsung heroes of the “please help me understand the IRS” department.

I am grateful for our Board of Directors and our advisory panel. Without them, I would be stumbling through this work like a man in the dark without a flashlight. Their experience and expertise give shape to the mission, credibility to our decisions, and guardrails to the growth of this organization. They challenge me, guide me, and steady the ground beneath Grounded Boots Relief. Their leadership makes it possible for this work to be more than one person’s effort.  

I am grateful for my mentors. They listen when I need to vent, and they offer wisdom when I actually need guidance instead of just noise. They are patient, steady, and unbothered by the fact that I sometimes sound like a man yelling into a void.

 

I do not believe I am good enough on my own to build what I dream of building. But I have full confidence that Grounded Boots Relief will become what it is meant to be because of the people who believe in it. People like you. People who show up, donate, volunteer, encourage, share, support, and keep this mission alive.

 

Thank you for being who you are. If you want to be involved more deeply, we would welcome it. I would welcome it. And if you want to join us on the 29th for cutting and splitting logs, we can be grateful together while pretending our shoulders do not hurt.

 

Happy Thanksgiving.