By Kaitlyn McCormick, Originally Posted in the Greenville News on October 12, 2024

Greenville wasn’t supposed to have its Saturday Market on Oct. 12.

There weren’t supposed to be people milling around and checking on the produce and other goods from local farmers and vendors. Instead, the Main Street stretch was slated to be overtaken by over 60 restaurants, 50 beer taps and wine vendors and seven sound stages for the annual Fall for Greenville Festival.

But, when it was clear that the festival couldn’t happen — many restaurants, vendors and even necessary equipment were impacted by the storm — city worker Roxy Hatchette said it became a question of how to give back to a community that had been through so much.

“We pulled this together,” Hatchette said, standing by the market’s branded tent as hundreds of shoppers strolled by in the Saturday morning sunlight.

Technically, the city’s senior graphic design and marketing coordinator, Hatchette and others stepped out of their typical roles in the aftermath of Helene, going on trash runs to clear roads and scouting out damage in Greenville.

Almost choking up while reflecting on the way the city had and continues to show up for one another after the storm, Hatchette said the amount of support was overwhelming and an example of “truly helping your neighbor.”

Across the street, United Way of Greenville County set up a reception area on West McBee, where they were collecting donations to fill the food pantries at county schools.

The organization was invited by the city to attend, and signage in the area encouraged people to donate in person or visit the United Way’s online donation forum.

In addition to food, the group is also beginning to provide rent assistance to those in need following setbacks from the hurricane, President and CEO Meghan Barp mentioning that Greenville has one of the highest eviction rates in the country.

Barp said that the Greenville people are a “passionate and generous” group: “It’s one of the things that I love about this community.”

“This town has a philanthropic spirit,” said Michael Cinquemani, with United Way.

And, as the days continue on after the storm that killed seven people in Greenville County alone, left many without power and others with detrimental flooding and other debris, an air of hope and community has somehow risen to the surface despite the tragedies.

Jason McCabe from Upstate Greens said that when the 50 restaurants he supplied had to halt after the hurricane, it had an impact on him as well, though he seemed to play down the effect the storm and the tree that fell through his greenhouse had.

“I’m just happy that people united in this,” he said. “Farmers markets are about the community.”