Lemon Ninjas, a lemonade company owned and operated by a local family in Alamance County, hosted a flood fundraiser to help raise funds and donations for those affected by Tropical Storm Chantal. From vintage cars to a pygmy goat named Oliver, the fundraiser at Straightway Baptist Church included gospel performances, car shows, a petting zoo, vendors and, of course, lemonade.
Christian Jordan, owner of Lemon Ninjas and coordinator of the event, is no stranger to giving a helping hand. Last September, when Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina, Jordan and her husband, Josh, volunteered to help those in need.
“We wanted to give back to the people that were closer to us too,” Jordan said.
On July 6, Tropical Storm Chantal hit parts of North Carolina including Alamance County, which caused flash flooding of over 12 inches of rain and was responsible for killing at least six people. Nearly a month later, on Aug. 5, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein declared a type 1 state disaster, calling for federal help and was denied. A type 1 state disaster is usually a state-funded recovery relief initiative that only impacts a small number of counties. Following Tropical Storm Chantal, Alamance County is one of the regions receiving recovery relief.
Out of the six deaths, two were reported within Alamance County and more than 150 people lost their homes in central North Carolina. Jordan’s goal is to not only fill the back of a pick-up truck with donations, but to also raise up to $1,500 for those impacted by the storm.
According to Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Flood Insurance Program, only 0.4% of Alamance County households have flood insurance. In order to help those families, Jordan required every vendor, car displayer and entertainment group to donate a small portion to be able to set up at the event. Jordan said she had to invest her own money to get this event up and running.
“There’s actually times I wanted to give up because it was just so stressful,” Jordan said. “But my family is what kept me up and going.”
Jordan’s entire family, including her 91-year-old grandmother, was at the event helping. With no previous experience planning fundraisers, Jordan said this one came with its fair share of challenges. For example, Jordan experienced painful migraines during the planning period. Despite this, she said the support from her family helped her make this day happen.
“I’ve been happy all day,” Jordan said.
Patty Ross, owner of Stitches Custom Made, got to the venue at 7:30 a.m. to lay out her custom-made bags, hats, bookmarks and more. Ross said she wasn’t sure if those who lost their homes had flood insurance or had anything to cover the recovery costs, so events like this could help the victims without them even having to be present.
“It's up to the community to help them,” Ross said. “It's not just their neighbors or family members, it's the whole community.”
Member of Straightway Baptist and fundraiser attendee Kathy Lewis felt grateful that she had the opportunity to not worry about her own home, but instead come out and support those who do.
“I just hope this turns out to be a wonderful thing today, but the way it's looking, I believe it's gonna be a good one,” Lewis said with a smile.
The fundraiser ended at 3 p.m. and Jordan raised a total of $1,400 and filled up four giant boxes with donations.
“Even if I don’t have anything, I want to give,” Jordan said. “I’ve always been that way. I have a caring heart.”