Morris Love

Lumberton, NC — When Hurricane Matthew ripped through Lumberton, Morris Love didn’t just lose his home, he lost part of his family.

“I’m a foster parent,” Morris explained. “I had two little boys with me when the storm hit.”

He said they were stuck in their home, and all they were able to do was watch as the weather went from bad to worse.                                            

“By the grace of God, a helicopter flew over,” Morris recounted.

With rain falling and water rising, a rescue team pulled Morris and his family to safety and flew them to Wilmington. They were safe, but now they faced the daunting question of how to start over. Morris had lost his home, and as a result, his license to have foster kids. Unsure of what to do, Morris turned to ReBuild NC.

“I was told to go to ReBuild North Carolina,” Morris said. “I went out there and they helped me fill out the application. They told me, ‘We’re going to get you home and take care of everything. You’ve come this far and we’re not going to stop. We’re going to get this done.’”

ReBuild NC assigned Morris a contractor who built a new home with raised foundations that would weather future storms. The day Morris moved in, he got more than his home back — he got his family back. 

“The case worker came and gave me my license back,” Morris said. “I’m able to have my foster kids again.”