Former Appalachian State players and current Buffalo Bills Sam Martin, Darrynton Evans and Jalen Virgil have personally felt the effects of the devastation that Hurricane Helene has caused, and are encouraging fans to donate to American Red Cross Disaster Relief, Samaritans Purse, App State Disaster Relief, Beloved Asheville and Boone Area Chamber of Commerce to support Hurricane Helene relief efforts in the Western North Carolina region.
"Mainly just to spread awareness and let people know what's really going on," Evans said. "You drive through a lot of the little towns just to get up the mountain, and it's a lot of places there that people are clearly fighting for their lives right now."
Helene tore through the Western North Carolina region, causing massive flooding and the Appalachian State University campus has suffered storm damage.
"Seeing videos and photos of what's going on there is very hard to see, and I can only imagine what's really going on," Evans said. "It's very tough. Just hoping to make sure we can spread awareness and help with our resources as much we can. Use our platform."
This situation hit close to home for these three Buffalo Bills, as they each spent time playing for the Mountaineers before playing in the NFL. The three of them plan on wearing hoodies that say “Mountain Strong” on Sunday when the Bills take on the Houston Texans.
Martin, who played at App State from 2008-2013, reflected on what the Appalachian State community meant to him.
"App State is where I kind of found myself as a as a man, as an adult," Martin said. "It was not real close to my home, so getting away there became a new home for me and I grew so much as a man there, and have so many memories of Boone and the high country."
Both Evans and Virgil, who were teammates at App State from 2016-2019, shared similar reflections about their time in Boone, NC.
"The whole western North Carolina region, it was everything," Evans said. "When I first went to App State, me being from Florida, going from the beach to the mountains, it's a completely 180 of what I was used to growing up. … That was my first time actually experiencing the fall and just seeing what they described as God's country really be God's country from the scenic view, the weather, the people, everything."
"You know, it means the world to me," Virgil said. "That's where I was able to get my education, meet some of my lifelong friends and have a successful football career there, so it means the world to me. And my favorite thing about being up there at App State was the people. We have a great fan base. It just felt like a family atmosphere. So just seeing everybody going through all this, you know, in our town, basically underwater, is just kind of hard to see."
"I'd say the best part about App State and Boone and the whole High Country is, one, the beauty of the town, of the mother nature of everything about it and two, is the people," Martin said. "So building back the beauty that that whole area is built upon and assisting in the great people in that area is what we're trying to accomplish here. Build back homes, build back the school and just try to bring normality back to that area."
Bills fans can support hurricane relief efforts by donating to charities that are providing relief efforts.
