A western North Carolina family displaced by Hurricane Helene received an early and desperately needed Christmas gift this week, courtesy of Coastal RV.

The Carrollton-based recreational vehicle dealership recently sent a brand new camper on a 6½ -hour drive south across the state border to serve as the family’s temporary home.

Rick and Bev George, customers and friends of Coastal RV owners David and Amy Stoup, made the arrangements through EmergencyRV.org, a nationwide nonprofit established in the wake of the 2018 Paradise, California, wildfire that connects willing donors of new and used RVs with first responders and displaced victims of natural disasters.

The Stoups, after the Georges approached them with the idea, agreed to donate a 28-foot Bunkhouse, which can sleep up to eight people.

Rick said he learned of EMergencyRV.org through family members in Asheville, of North Carolina’s hardest-hit cities. Helene made landfall over the Florida panhandle in late September, cutting a path of destruction across the Appalachian and Blue Ridge Mountains and bringing more than 30 inches of rain and 100-plus mph wind gusts to western North Carolina.

Rick, an Air Force veteran, is one of several Isle of Wight County residents to have volunteered with relief agencies. He was in western North Carolina during the three weeks immediately following the storm, where he assisted with clearing rocks and distributing supplies.

Now, nearly three months later and with winter approaching, some western North Carolina residents are still without permanent shelter. The family to receive Coastal RV’s camper, who have asked not to be identified, have been living with family members since losing their home and all their belongings to storm damage, according to Amy Stoup.

“They lost everything,” Stoup said.

Rick and Bev, a school nurse at Smithfield High School, headed out the morning of Dec. 16. But a camper isn’t all they’re bringing.

Two weeks ahead of the delivery date, Coastal RV hosted a “stuff the camper” fundraiser, soliciting donations of cash, cold weather clothing, nonperishable food, small propane bottles, pet food and other essentials such as batteries, flashlights and first-aid kits. By Dec. 12, the camper and the back of Rick’s truck was filled with supplies.

The call for donations netted “a huge outpouring,” Stoup said. “His truck is full.”

Any excess supplies not needed by the family will be taken to a central location in western North Carolina for distribution to others in need, Rick said.

“We just really want to thank the community for stepping up,” Stoup said.