To Kentucky, with love: Dartmouth resident pitch in with supplies, support

Dec 16, 2021

Weston Faulkner is spending Christmas week in Mayfield, Ky., a town ravaged by a rare December tornado. 

The storm demolished many homes — “they’re just gone,’’ he said — and forced other residents with houses still standing to rely on tarps to protect them from the elements.

To “add insult to injury,’’ three inches of rain fell over several days, with early morning temperatures dipping into the 20s. 

But this will be the best Christmas of his life, he said.

He drove a truck overflowing with donated items from fellow Dartmouth residents, including toys, food, tarps and tools, to Mayfield Dec. 15.

“You don’t realize how much you have until you’re around people who have nothing,’’ he said. “It touches your soul.’’

He is also using the cash donations he has received — $20,000 and growing — to purchase generators to help people whose homes are still livable but have no power.

The people he has helped, he said, “are grateful for anything because they have lost everything.’’

After spending time on the ground in Kentucky, he has realized that the items most needed may not be the most glamorous or the donations most people think to provide. But goods such as socks and underwear are badly needed, he said.

Hours before he headed to Mayfield, residents visited the truck, parked outside the Black Bass Grill, to fill the vehicle with items to donate.

“Dartmouth has been amazing,’’ he said of the donations. 

He is especially impressed with people’s generosity during the holiday season, when cash is often tight for people, he said, and considering that the fund-raising effort was created in just a few days.

The supplies collected in Dartmouth were brought to a fairgrounds that has served as a dropping off point for donations, as well as several churches.

He knows the community well. His parents were born and raised in Graves County, on the outskirts of Mayfield. 

Although he has lived in Dartmouth for about 10 years, “my heart’s still there,’’ he said. He visits the area regularly to visit family, including taking a trip there just weeks ago.

His family survived the storm, but the town of Mayfield is “an absolute disaster,’’ Faulkner said. 

Mayfield was one of the hardest communities in the tornadoes, which hit Dec. 10. At least 74 people were killed in Kentucky, with more than 100 people unaccounted for as of Dec. 15. 

His parents have moved from the area, but he still has many relatives there, including a cousin who is the county commissioner of Graves County.

Faulkner got a call from the cousin asking if he had been assigned to visit the storm-devastated area to do his work as an insurance adjuster.

The Dartmouth resident told him he wasn’t planning to provide his professional skills but he was offering something else: Support from his adopted hometown.

Faulkner and his wife Kellie decided to spearhead an effort to supply donated items to those who have lost so much. 

Supplies ranged from cases of water, toys, tarps, nails and screws to snack food and pet supplies.

“I would venture to say, if you asked me for something, I would find it on the truck,’’ he said as residents came by with items.

As boxes of goods were carried onto the truck, Kellie Faulkner smiled.

“I’m very proud of this community, today’’ she said. “It’s awesome.’’

Weston wants to make sure that, as people become preoccupied with the holidays and other news stories dominate the news cycle, that Mayfield and the surrounding area are not forgotten.

As an insurance adjuster, he is not unfamiliar with disasters, he said. 

But “this is just as bad as any loss I’ve seen,’’ he said. “It’s heart-breaking.’’

To donate, send checks made out to Give Back Foundation to: Give Back Foundation, 4 Moniz Drive, Dartmouth MA, 02747.