Helping Hand Mission in Raleigh seeks help after a fire. How and what to donate
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- A fire ruined rooms of donated clothing, furniture and many supplies.
- Helping Hand Mission seeks $300,000 GoFundMe to rebuild after fire.
- Large sections of the building will need to come down to the foundation.
For the last 40 years, the Helping Hand Mission has tossed a lifeline to anyone needing food, clothes, warmth and a safe place to sleep — a refuge for anyone, anytime, no matter what.
But on Monday morning, the staff picked through the charred remains from a Sunday-morning fire that tore through the roof and destroyed whole rooms full of donated clothing, furniture and toys.
Sylvia Wiggins, the mission’s longtime director, sat on a desk outside the wreckage on the chilly morning-after, where a volunteer wrapped her legs in a blanket.
For once, Wiggins needed a hand herself.
“We will never stop helping,” she said, while one of the mission’s many cats curled around her feet. “But we people who know construction. We need advice and support. We have a dilemma right now.”
How to help Helping Hands Mission
The mission on Rock Quarry Road started a GoFundMe campaign Monday seeking $300,000 to rebuild and keep Raleigh’s vital charity running until that happens.
Along with money, Helping Hand needs donations to restore what supplies the fire destroyed: everything from space heaters to hand sanitizers to sofas to television sets. As Wiggins sat surveying the damage, cars pulled up full of people with needs that persist in spite of fire.
“That lady right there is looking for some clothes,” said Wiggins. “We’re going to find her a jacket. Stuff is just now coming in.”
Wiggins said the mission will try to fill some gaps at New Bern House a few blocks away, but large sections of the Rock Quarry building will need to come down to the foundation, not to mention the rewiring work that will be required.
Helping Hand’s marching band equipment
Beyond its role as a one-stop charity, many in Raleigh know Helping Hand for its marching band, a crowd favorite in city parades.
Wiggins said she did not know yet how badly smoke has damaged its drums and majorette uniforms, and she pointed to Buddy, a 14-year-old drummer who came to inspect the damage.
“He wanted to know, ‘Is my drum OK?’ “ Wiggins said.
With so much work ahead, Wiggins took comfort that the tall, 100-year-old oak tree at the building’s entrance survived the fire.
“Our tree made it,” she said. “The dream is still alive, thank you.”
This story was originally published March 2, 2026 at 11:37 AM.