(NewsNation) — “It all started around that grill.”
No matter where we live or how we grew up, there are some experiences we all share. Likely, just the sight of a grill is enough to awaken your taste buds — and your memories. We can say with certainty that people love to gather around a grill.
“She thought this was where she needed to be,” said Carla Young, Lora Young’s mom.
It wasn’t food that drew Lora Young to the grill, but rather people.
“She’d say, ‘Mamma, I’m where I need to be; it gives me purpose; I want to help others.’ So she was here every day,” said Carla.
Right after Hurricane Helene, Lora and her friend Steven Howell fired up an old grill in downtown Lansing, North Carolina. There was mud and debris everywhere, and the two of them knew people needed help — needed to eat.
So, for the next five months, they served up hot dogs, spaghetti or whatever they could find for the people who needed it.
“People just kept coming, so they kept cooking,” said Charles Young, Lora’s dad.
She kept working and helping until she passed away on February 25, 2025.
“Most people didn’t know she was sick at all,” said Charles.
Lora was diagnosed with cancer in August of 2019. She battled it on and off until she found out it had spread, right around the time of Helene.
“They did another scan, and it was in her lungs, and that one went fast,” remembered Carla.
Lora knew what that meant, but those she loved did not.
“I didn’t know how bad it was,” said Steven, Lora’s friend.
Lora’s younger brother, John, had no idea that her cancer had spread. She had told him something else. “It was an ‘infection.’ Which was what everyone was thinking it was,” remembered John.
“I’m very proud of her, very proud of her. That was who she was,” said Carla.
Lora spent the last six months of her life happily giving hope to those who needed it.
In the middle of the week, Lora’s friends and family hosted a special lunch. They fired up the grill once more to raise money for “Lansing’s Bridge to Recovery,” a nonprofit she helped start after Helene.
They hope to help those affected by Helene and also to put a grill in their town park in honor of Lora’s memory.
“We’re thinking a table at the far end and the grill over there,” said Carla.
“She always had a smiling face, and she would be laughing, telling stories despite really being in a lot of pain,” remembered Steven.