Valley Hope Church donates $25,000 to help rebuild Solar Suds in Swannanoa

A $25,000 donation from Valley Hope Church gave Solar Suds in Swannanoa a needed boost toward reopening a business that lost much more than walls and equipment when Helene struck. The solar-powered laundromat is being rebuilt as an essential neighborhood stop, with plans that go beyond washing machines to restore a place where people can meet, linger and connect.

The rebuild calls for a mural wrap around the building, a parking lot surface mural, an outdoor classroom for gardening, storage space and benches where people can sit and hang out. Steve Senn of World of Abundance, the local nonprofit partnering on the project, said the goal is to make the property feel welcoming in a way most commercial sites do not. “We want to put up a sign that says loitering encouraged,” Senn said.

That vision comes with a tough financial reality. Gladden said the business still has to cover monthly water, sewer, Duke Energy and flood insurance bills even while the building itself is not back in service. Those fixed costs help explain why small recovery projects can stall long after the floodwaters recede, even when neighbors and faith communities are eager to help.

Solar Suds also fits into the larger recovery picture in Swannanoa and across Buncombe County. Helene made landfall on Sept. 26, 2024, and county officials later reported that more than 60% of county properties sustained damage. Buncombe County said 372 homes were destroyed and more than 11,000 needed significant repairs. The county’s Swannanoa Small Area & Resilience Plan is intended to guide land-use decisions and recovery priorities in the corridor for the next 20 years, putting added weight on projects that can restore daily life as well as infrastructure.

The laundromat’s role is especially important in a place where familiar gathering spots disappeared after the storm. In Swannanoa, a laundromat can be where residents exchange news, catch up on local concerns and keep family routines moving. Valley Hope Church has already marked itself as part of that social fabric, hosting a Helene remembrance event in Swannanoa on Sept. 28, 2025, and holding community meals every Monday. As some Swannanoa business owners have said they have faced barriers to accessing certain federal recovery funds, donations like this one have become critical in bridging the gap between damage and reopening.