Image: NCDIT Secretary Teena Piccione and team members volunteer at the Kramden Institute in Durham to refurbish laptops for those affected by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina.
N.C. Department of Information Technology Secretary and State Chief Information Officer Teena Piccione and other NCDIT team members recognized the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service by volunteering to help support hurricane recovery efforts in western North Carolina.
On Monday, Jan. 20, Piccione and 17 team members volunteered at the Kramden Institute in Durham, a nonprofit that provides technology tools and training to bridge the state’s digital divide.
The group helped refurbish 169 laptops, including loading operating systems. The laptops will be sent to individuals in western North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene.
Piccione then traveled to western North Carolina to visit Sharing House in Brevard in Transylvania County and learned about its work to provide crisis assistance and programs that create lasting solutions to hunger and poverty. In the wake of Hurricane Helene, Sharing House is focused on helping the community with long-term recovery needs.
Piccione ended her time in the region with visits to the public safety answering points, commonly known as 911 centers, in Buncombe and Haywood counties, which were greatly impacted by Hurricane Helene.
She thanked the local telecommunicators for their life-saving work and learned more about what they need to continue serving their communities.
“As I’ve traveled through western North Carolina, it’s been inspiring to witness how people from across the state have come together to support fellow North Carolinians and rebuild safer and stronger,” Piccione said.