Lt. Gov. Hunt joins BRCA to celebrate Morganton reopening, 60th anniversary

Blue Ridge Community Action’s Morganton office opened its doors again nearly a year after Hurricane Helene’s floodwaters forced its closure. At 800 N. Green St., the center reopened Friday, Aug. 22, with tours and a ribbon cutting.

For BRCA, Friday’s event was also a moment to honor its staff and the community partners who stepped in after Helene’s floodwaters displaced more than 50 employees and shut down nearly every department.

“We did not know if we would be able to use our building this year, and yet you all did not stop,” said Executive Director Stephanie Ashley. “We had great community partners who sustained us after the storm. We went to [Western Piedmont] Community College for finance. We went to First Presbyterian for Early Head Start. And we went to Salem Elementary for Head Start classrooms. And even with these changes, the work never stopped.”

Even while scattered across temporary facilities, BRCA’s 17 programs kept running: childcare, community services, weatherization, and more. Administrative staff processed payroll on borrowed Wi-Fi at local restaurants. Pop-up distribution events provided food, clothing, and household items to those in need.

Adult Day Services was the only program that had to pause completely, but staff remained connected with the participants through outreach until a temporary space opened at Handi-Care in Drexel.

Along North Green Street, dozens of signs displayed the names of local partners who supported BRCA this year.

“Gratefulness — that’s the word I’d use,” said Meg Poteet, BRCA’s human resources director. “We were just so grateful to be back in this space. Everyone was at a blitz, running on coffee, admin would open boxes, and teachers would decorate. To see every classroom now, beautiful and ready for the kids to come in and make memories, that’s awesome.”

The Celebration was also part of the larger conversation about childcare access across North Carolina.

Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt joined BRCA staff and community partners to celebrate the reopening. Touring classrooms and childcare spaces, she tied the moment to her “Future Ready NC” plan, which seeks statewide solutions to North Carolina’s childcare crisis.

“It’s wonderful to be here with so many people who care deeply about children,” Hunt said. “We’re meeting children and families where they are and giving them the foundation they need to fly. Blue Ridge Community Action is truly a beacon for Burke, Caldwell, and Rutherford counties. What you do truly helps people and changes lives.”

She recalled her father, former Gov. Jim Hunt’s, vision for North Carolina to be the best place in the nation for children to grow and learn and noted her own work as co-chair of the Governor’s Task Force on Childhood and Early Education. The task force, she said, brings together childcare providers, educators, and leaders from across the state to address the shortage of affordable, high-quality childcare.

Hunt argued that the issue isn’t isolated to families but impacts the economy as a whole.

“Parents can’t work without childcare,” Hunt said. “Businesses can’t grow without workers. If North Carolina wants to stay competitive, we must invest in childcare and workforce development.”