“We haven’t forgotten the situation of folks affected by Helene. You are the comfortable rocking chair of America’s musical front porch”: US radio host organises free instrument giveaway to communities hit by Hurricane Helene

A happy young boy tunes an acoustic guitar.

Here’s a heartwarming story from the US: more than 2,000 free musical instruments have been given away to the victims of last year’s Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.

The charity drive was organised by WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour, a radio show created by folk singer Michael Johnathon. The WoodSongs team spent months collecting donated instruments in other parts of the US such as Ohio, Kentucky and New York. The giveaway was centred on the community of Swannanoa, which was particularly hard hit by last year’s disaster. Some residents lost everything, including, of course, their instruments.