Local pilot and fitness community team up for North Carolina relief efforts

OSHKOSH (WLUK) – The images out of North Carolina, two weeks after Hurricane Helene ravaged parts of the state, continue to have an impact.

“Just seeing the mudslides and how high the water was and stuff. And it just pulled at my heart. I don’t know anyone down there and I just felt survivor’s remorse where I want to do something,” said Krista Wilson of Oshkosh.

She works out at FIRE Fitness in Oshkosh. so she reached out to her fitness family, asking for help. They responded.

According to Wilson, “There’s diapers, there’s toothpaste, there’s baby wipes, there’s formula, there’s tarps.”

All week they’ve been collecting supplies to send down to North Carolina for the recovery effort.

“The last few days people have been coming in and dropping off a ton things and it’s great to see,” added Eli Macias, owner of the Oshkosh FIRE Fitness.

But with roads washed out and travel into the impacted areas restricted, Wilson asked her son, Jay, a pilot, for help.

” I didn’t realize the donations would takeoff like it did,” said Jay Wilson.

His Piper Comanche six seater airplane is now stuffed with the supplies. Basler Flight Service donated the fuel for his trip.

And on Saturday morning Wilson and a friend will leave Oshkosh and head to the Ashe County Airport in North Carolina to drop off the goods.

Two hours outside of Asheville, it’s a collection point for donations.

“We have to fly into this airport and it seems like everything is getting distributed from there,” said Krista Wilson.

It should take Wilson about three hours to fly to North Carolina and three hours back.

While it’s a trip he will make all in one day, he and his mom and her workout family hope the impact will be long lasting.

Jay Wilson said, “I’m sure when I get down there it will be a pretty humbling experience. Just makes me feel good to use my plane for something to help and we’ll see how it goes.”

His mom added, “It’s just a good feeling that you’re just helping others.”