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East Fork Pottery responded to Hurricane Helene with a strategy that combined business continuity and local mutual aid. After the storm disrupted water, production, and shipping, the Asheville-area company sold existing inventory through a 30%-off Seconds sale, used the revenue to help keep employees paid, and directed 5% of sales to grassroots Western North Carolina recovery organizations.
East Fork later reported that the commitment continued through the end of 2024 and that more than $500,000, including customer donations, went to recovery efforts. The company then described a 1% community-partner model for 2025. The response was therefore both a relief campaign and an attempt to keep a local manufacturer operating during a regional crisis.
What happened to East Fork Pottery when Helene hit
Hurricane Helene reached the United States on September 26, 2024, and tore through Western North Carolina the following day. East Fork’s retrospective identifies September 27 as the date the storm devastated roads, homes, businesses, and communities across the region.
East Fork first reported that all of its Western North Carolina employees had been accounted for. The company then focused on immediate needs, including water, food, and shelter. It organized aid runs with assistance from nearby cities and worked to salvage materials from buildings affected by flooding and mud.
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The company’s own operations were also in jeopardy. East Fork said it could not make pottery without water and could not ship orders normally. It did, however, have a large amount of finished inventory on warehouse shelves. Founder and CEO Alex Matisse presented sales as a way to keep employees paid and cover bills that could not simply be postponed while the region recovered.
The Seconds sale became both a payroll tool and a relief campaign
East Fork’s answer was to sell the pottery it already had available. The company opened its Seconds inventory to individual purchases rather than requiring customers to buy pieces in four-packs, and discounted those items by 30%.
East Fork also announced that 5% of all sales during the emergency period would be divided among three Western North Carolina organizations: PODER Emma, BeLoved Asheville, and Equal Plates. Customers could add separate donations at checkout as well.
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East Fork later said the 5% commitment continued through the end of 2024. Including direct contributions from customers, the company reported that more than $500,000 went to Western North Carolina recovery efforts in the months after Helene. That is East Fork’s own retrospective figure, not an independently audited total in the available reporting.
Why East Fork chose grassroots community partners
East Fork described its initial beneficiaries as grassroots organizations distributing aid and leading recovery and rebuilding work. Rather than creating a new relief fund or attempting to manage every need itself, the company directed customers toward groups with existing relationships in the communities affected by the storm.
| Organization | Role in East Fork’s response |
|---|---|
| PODER Emma | East Fork says support helped fund home repairs, critical community infrastructure, mutual aid, supplies, and longer-term housing work. The organization also used solar trailers to pump water from community wells and provide refrigeration for families with medical needs. |
| BeLoved Asheville | One of the three organizations named in East Fork’s initial emergency appeal. East Fork directed readers to BeLoved for direct donations and grassroots relief participation. |
| Equal Plates | Another initial recipient named in the emergency campaign. East Fork directed customers to the organization for additional direct support. |
These partners also illustrate why a local response could not be reduced to debris removal or short-term food distribution. Recovery involved keeping people housed, repairing homes, maintaining access to water and electricity, and supporting households with medical needs.
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- Flexible Lift-top Design: This upgraded version of the heavy-duty base enables the tabletop to be lifted up or lowered down easily in a range of 0 - 2 in / 0 - 7 cm, which brings convenience to users of all heights. Besides, the triangular structure ensures that the machine does not shake when running. Stably operate and control the form of your piece.
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- Security Protection: Single-phase three-wire connection with an earth leakage protection device used for secure and reliable operation. Moreover, reinforced pads at the bottom of the machine offer stability and decrease scratches on the floor. With user satisfaction and a long product service life, you can concentrate on your work well and create something inspirational.
- Complete Sculpting Tools Included: 8pcs stainless steel tools and 8pcs wood tools are provided with this pottery wheel to help you create your dishware, vases, and ceramic art pieces effortlessly. Suitable for school teaching, pottery bar, home use, etc. Supports the throwing and shaping process that meets the demands of the most professional ceramic craftsmen and amateur enthusiasts.
The donation effort broadened beyond immediate disaster relief
For December 2024, East Fork directed donations to the Center for Native Health in Cherokee, North Carolina. According to East Fork, those funds helped complete a wood-fired community kiln for emerging Cherokee potters and clay workshops.
The kiln gave the donation effort a cultural and craft-related dimension, but East Fork’s account also describes the Center for Native Health’s broader work in food sovereignty, doula care, mental health, and substance-abuse resources. The recovery needs were not limited to restoring buildings; they included health, cultural continuity, and community capacity.
East Fork said it continued the percentage-of-sales model in 2025, committing 1% of all sales to local community partners. That represented a shift from a concentrated emergency appeal to an ongoing community-investment approach.
Swannanoa Communities Together and the long recovery
East Fork said its 2025 community-partner model began with Swannanoa Communities Together. The organization used support for rent, utilities, funeral expenses, emergency shelter, food distribution, disaster case management, heaters, firewood, and housing assistance.
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The progression from the 2024 Seconds campaign to the 2025 partner model is significant. The initial effort addressed urgent survival needs while protecting East Fork’s payroll. The later approach treated recovery as a longer process involving housing, utilities, food access, health, cultural work, and local infrastructure.
East Fork’s own facilities and employees were affected
East Fork’s response was shaped by the fact that the company was also a storm-damaged local employer. Contemporary reporting by Vanity Fair described employees moving pottery and trying to protect inventory as the flood threat intensified. They loaded pots onto a short school bus, evacuated, and later returned to extensive water and mud damage while examining damaged pieces and assessing affected facilities.
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- Flexible Lift-top Design: This professional pottery wheel of the heavy-duty base enables the tabletop to be lifted up or lowered down easily in a range of 0 - 6 inch / 0 - 150 mm, which brings convenience to users of all heights. Besides, the triangular structure ensures that the machine does not shake when running. Stably operate and control the form of your piece
- Independent Foot Pedal: Waterproof pannel buttons help you control the wheel direction simply by touching knob on the display panel. Joint with a 350W brushless motor, durable foot pedal can achieve a 60-300 rpm speed with a 60dB low noise. It can be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise to accommodate different needs
- Security Protection: Single-phase three-wire connection with an earth leakage protection device used for secure and reliable operation. Moreover, reinforced pads at the bottom of the machine offer stability and decrease scratches on the floor. With user satisfaction and a long product service life, you can concentrate on your work well and create something inspirational
- Complete Sculpting Tools Included: 8pcs stainless steel tools and 8pcs wood tools are provided with this pottery wheel to help you create your dishware, vases, and ceramic art pieces effortlessly. Suitable for school teaching, pottery bar, home use, etc. Supports the throwing and shaping process that meets the demands of the most professional ceramic craftsmen and amateur enthusiasts
Vanity Fair reported in October 2024 that East Fork had more than 110 employees and was producing close to 600,000 pieces annually. Those numbers describe the company at that time, not necessarily its current workforce or production level.
The scale of the disruption helps explain why the Seconds sale served two purposes. It gave customers a way to buy usable pottery, but it also converted existing inventory into cash when the company could not rely on normal production. In Matisse’s framing, keeping people paid was itself part of helping the surrounding community recover.
The insurance dispute and later business consequences
The financial effects did not end when East Fork resumed operations. In August 2025, Blue Ridge Public Radio reported that East Fork sued Travelers over a denied business-interruption claim. East Fork alleged that it was owed more than $1 million, including a claimed $1,125,000 plus interest, after the business was closed for almost a month. Travelers did not respond to the outlet’s requests for comment at the time of that report.
The insurance case should be described as a disputed claim, not as proof that all of East Fork’s losses were uninsured. The available reporting does not establish that every East Fork facility was destroyed, that all inventory was lost, or that the lawsuit had been resolved.
A December 2025 report from Blue Ridge Public Radio said East Fork estimated that Helene cost the business approximately $1 million in lost business. The same report covered a planned $2.5 million expansion that would add 30,000 square feet and 40 positions. Those later figures belong to a separate stage of the company’s development; they should not be confused with the emergency sale itself.
What East Fork’s response represents
East Fork’s Helene response is best understood as a combination of business continuity and mutual aid. The company needed revenue because water and shipping problems threatened its ability to operate and pay employees. It also had inventory that could be sold immediately. By attaching a 5% commitment to sales, East Fork used ordinary commerce to help finance relief without separating the company from the local economy it was trying to preserve.
That approach has both strengths and limits. It allowed customers to support a local employer while purchasing the company’s actual product, and it sent money toward organizations with established community ties. At the same time, a sales-based campaign is not the same as a direct donation, and the amount raised depends on customers’ ability and willingness to buy. The company’s reported total should therefore be treated as a company-reported result, not as an independently verified measure of the region’s recovery.
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Can buying East Fork pottery today help Helene recovery?
Not automatically. The 5% commitment described above applied to the 2024 emergency response and, according to East Fork, continued through the end of that year. East Fork separately described a 1% local community-partner commitment for 2025. The available information does not establish that a current purchase contributes to Hurricane Helene recovery.
Readers who want to support the maker through an ordinary current purchase can explore East Fork pottery, including the company’s current pottery and home-goods offerings. That is support for the Asheville-area business, but it should not be presented as a Helene donation unless East Fork announces a new, specific promotion. Readers seeking to support Western North Carolina recovery should use the current donation and volunteer channels of organizations such as PODER Emma, BeLoved Asheville, Equal Plates, the Center for Native Health, and Swannanoa Communities Together, confirming each group’s present needs directly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What did East Fork Pottery do after Hurricane Helene?
East Fork sold its Seconds at 30% off and allowed customers to buy individual pieces instead of requiring four-packs. The company committed 5% of all sales during the emergency response, later saying that commitment continued through the end of 2024. Customers could also add donations at checkout.
How much money did East Fork raise for Helene recovery?
East Fork reported that more than $500,000, including customer contributions, was donated to Western North Carolina recovery efforts. That figure comes from the company’s retrospective and was not independently audited in the available reporting.
Does buying East Fork pottery today donate money to Helene relief?
The available information does not show that current East Fork purchases automatically fund Helene recovery. The 5% campaign applied to the 2024 response, while East Fork separately described a 1% local community-partner model for 2025.
Did East Fork sue its insurer after Hurricane Helene?
In August 2025, Blue Ridge Public Radio reported that East Fork sued Travelers over a denied business-interruption claim. East Fork alleged that it was owed more than $1 million, including $1,125,000 plus interest. The available reporting does not establish that the dispute had been resolved.
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The Bottom Line
East Fork Pottery responded to Hurricane Helene by turning available inventory into a 30%-off Seconds sale, using the resulting revenue to help preserve payroll and committing 5% of sales to local recovery organizations. The company later reported more than $500,000 in donations and shifted to a broader 1% community-partner model in 2025. Its story is not one of a company untouched by disaster, nor one in which every facility was destroyed: it is the more complicated story of a local manufacturer trying to stay open while helping its neighbors recover.
Quick Recap
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