BANNER ELK – A few days after he performed at an epic concert that raised nearly $25 million for Western North Carolina, country music star Eric Church quietly toured Banner Elk with Gov. Roy Cooper, viewing Tropical Storm Helene damage and relief efforts.

“It’s the most special place in the world to me, the mountains of this area,” Church said.

Church grew up in Granite Falls and now spends about half the year in his Banner Elk home. He’s been helping support WNC since Helene hit, raising money and developing plans for long-term recovery.

Most notably, Church and fellow country singer/North Carolina native Luke Combs managed to quickly bring together acts like James Taylor, Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban and more for the “Concert for Carolina” on Oct. 26 in Charlotte. Over 80,000 people attended the Bank of America Stadium show, a news release said, which Church himself opened with “Hallelujah.”

“I’ve never played a show closer to my heart,” he told the audience.

The millions the concert raised will benefit Helene victims through nonprofits such as Samaritan’s Purse, Manna Food Bank and Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC, as well as Church’s own nonprofit, Chief Cares.

Eric Church announces ‘Blueprint for Blue Ridge’ homebuilding effort

At the concert, Church announced another effort to help Helene victims: a Chief Cares initiative called “A Blueprint for the Blue Ridge” that will build 100 homes for families in Avery County and the surrounding area. He spoke about it Oct. 31 in Banner Elk.

More: 2024 White House Christmas tree chosen from Avery County farm after Tropical Storm Helene

Chief Cares is partnering with Clayton Homes for the project, he said, and a team will be in Avery County next week to locate suitable land.

“Once we deliver the land to them, they’ll put 100 homes in Avery County in 100 days,” he said of Clayton Homes.

There’s no construction timeline yet, and Church did not yet know how families will be selected for the homes.

Other goals of “Blueprint for the Blue Ridge” include addressing “longer-term needs like creating jobs, rebuilding schools, and supporting local businesses,” the Chief Cares website says.

In another long-term effort, Church is signing over the publishing royalties from his song “Darkest Hour,” his first solo song in over three years, to “the people of North Carolina,” a news release said.

“We’ve been helping with boots on the ground efforts, but this is something that will live beyond just the immediate recovery,” he said. “This is not a quick thing to fix, so hopefully ‘Darkest Hour’ will be able to contribute to that for a long time to come. This song goes to my home, North Carolina, now and forever.”