Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Havertys Assists in Hurricane Recovery, Donates to Wilmington Charities
November 1,
2018 by Laurie Northington in Community / Charitable Support, Industry 
Atlanta, Ga.-based furniture company Havertys (NYSE:HVT) has donated funds to four Wilmington, N.C.-area charities that are helping families rebuild and recover from devastation caused by Hurricane Florence.
The charities include Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, Reach Out Worldwide, Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry (WARM), and the Wilmington chapter of the American Red Cross.
“So many in the Wilmington community have stepped up to help, and we want to support local efforts in this time of need,” said Clarence Smith, chairman of the board, president, and CEO for Havertys. “It’s particularly important to help organizations that provide year-round assistance in the community.”
In September, Hurricane Florence pummeled Wilmington with up to 23 inches of rain and gusts of wind topping 105 mph. The property damage estimate for Wilmington is more than $220 million, and mountains of debris left by the storm remain to be cleared.
While the Wilmington Havertys location escaped hurricane damage, several store’s associates and families faced daunting damage and repairs. One associate and his family were rescued from their flooded home.
“We live and work here and want to be as much help as we can in the whole recovery process,” said Mike Burke, Havertys general manager, a Wilmington resident for more than 11 years. “This is our community, too, and all of us are working to get our lives and our community back to normal.”