When it comes to hurricanes, Candace and Daniel Sellars are pros.
“We’re from New Orleans,” said Candace Sellars, who lived through storms such as Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Ida before moving to Augusta about four years ago. “We did not think it was going to get this bad.”
On Monday, Sept. 30, the couple joined dozens of other people in line at Lanier’s Fresh Meat Market on Walton Way, where Wayne Lanier and his staff cooked up hot dogs and handmade sausage dogs and gave them away.
“Everything we’re cooking was in the freezer. We’re not cooking them up because they are going bad. But the people around here don’t have any money,” said Lanier, who didn’t lose power to his freezers despite losing power to his storefront.
He estimated they’d give away between 1,000 and 1,500 hot dogs during the course of the afternoon.
The Sellars with their three children were trying to find a place to cash his check because they hadn’t been able to since last week, and they were hungry, Candace Sellars said. They saw the smoke, and it drew them over.
“Thank you,” Candace Sellars told Lanier repeatedly.
Area residents have been extending kindness to one another during Hurricane Helene’s aftermath.
Over the weekend at the city of Grovetown’s maintenance and fleet shop, employees grilled meat to feed people.
And Mellow Mushroom provided 250 pizzas to feed members of the National Guard who are in the area helping with cleanup.
At RecTeq on Monday, employees gave out thawed meat to people in more than 500 cars before running out.
In Augusta, cases of water are being given to families at the Municipal Building and at Southgate.
The Golden Harvest Food Bank had a pop-up food distribution at the Master’s Table Soup Kitchen.
Augusta Good News’ social media will continue to update people as information comes available.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years and is a Georgia Press Association award winner. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
