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Hurricane Helene was one of the most destructive storms in our state’s history and we will be feeling the effects for years to come. In the weeks after the storm, many Georgians were eager to help, but didn’t know what to do or where to begin. 

As a grassroots, family-focused company that employs people with a genuine commitment to help their communities, Georgia Farm Bureau Insurance served as a powerful network. Employees across the state worked together to coordinate a variety of relief efforts where they were needed most.

One example is Ray Stapleton, agency manager of Morgan County Farm Bureau. Stapleton called his friend Julie Calhoun, agency manager of both McDuffie County and Richmond County Farm Bureaus. Stapleton offered to bring a crew to Calhoun’s areas to provide hot meals for members of those communities. Calhoun and her team spread the word on social media and on the radio. Donations also started coming in from other county GFB offices that wanted to help.

On Oct. 12, 2024, volunteers set up at the McDuffie County Farm Bureau ready to provide free, hot meals for anyone who needed it. They were joined by GFB Insurance claims staff, who were working around the clock — via generators — to process claims as quickly as possible.

“There were lines out into the street that day,” Calhoun said. “Many of these people had not had a hot meal in two weeks.”

In total, they fed 750 people — 500 in the McDuffie office and another 250 in the Richmond office.

“We made more of an impact through that event than on anything else we’ve spent money on. It feels so good to give back to our community when people are in need,” said Stapleton, who added that this relief effort was made possible by regular people coming together to help in different ways. 

One of the common factors between all those volunteers was their connection to the Georgia Farm Bureau Insurance family.

“It’s our network — you spark an idea and someone will always volunteer to help with it,” said Stapleton. “You just make a few phone calls or send a text, and it comes together. We are so thankful for our GFB community.”