H7 Story: Caring For The Needs of Others
By Wendi Kitsteiner
The first time I met Aliceson Bales was ten years ago when our boys took tennis lessons together with a homeschool group. We had just moved to Greene County and didn’t know anyone. Aliceson quickly made an effort to make me feel right at home with her sweet country drawl and kind smile.
I remember asking her what her husband did for a living. It was only after our third meeting that I learned he was a musician. And it took another month before I discovered he was a “famous” musician (albeit Aliceson would never use that word.) You’ll never hear Barry or Aliceson mention that Barry has won 15 Grammy Awards playing Bass for Allison Krauss and Union Station.
It was that same humble and unassuming attitude that I encountered when trying to write this story. Both Barry and Aliceson, as is typical, tried to deflect. “I didn’t really do a whole lot other than answer the phone,” Barry explained to me when I asked him to discuss some of the help he provided to the community after Helene ravaged our area. Barry found the idea of me writing a story to share how he was helping, unnecessary, and I wondered if I’d get him to tell me anythingat all.
That’s just the way with Barry and Aliceson. Even down to their choice of home. Instead of living in the country music capital of the world, they live in South Greene on land that has been in his family since 1882. Bales Farms is located just a few miles from the Nolichucky River, but, like many of us, impact of the flood simply became a matter of topography. Their own farm unaffected, when Barry received a text a few days after the storm from County Commissioner Lisa Anderson asking for help at local Orebank Volunteer Fire Department, Barry immediately responded and took his wife and 17-year-old son Marshall to help distribute water to community members in need.
Expecting to carry cases of water to people’s car, the Chief instead asked Barry and Marshall to join him and his crew as they began initial assessment of how best to help people clean up. “We went to an area that I’ve spent a lot of time in and around,” Barry recalls. “I’ve hunted and fished that river for years and years, and I was still having a hard time getting my bearings on where I was because the banks of the river once had gigantic trees and now they are all gone . . . There were no trees standing anymore, sand everywhere, mud everywhere. I was speechless.”
Many of the volunteers were using their own equipment to help their community members, and Barry credits volunteer firefighters for taking it upon themselves to care for their people. “That’s what is special about this part of the world,” he said. “And I think this kind of spirit is ingrained.”
The truck that Marshall and Barry were in started making their way around town, filling people’s livestock watering tanks during the water outage. When the water would run out in their truck, they’d go to the creek and fill up again and then bring more water. This wasn’t only in their jurisdiction either. They were helping anyone they could. Meanwhile, Aliceson was back at headquarters helping distribute bottled water to anyone who came by and needed it.
Like many people after Helene ravaged our area, Barry and Aliceson began helping as the Lord personally called them. Most of us feel like what we personally contributed was very small, but that’s the whole point! Whether we made a donation to a local organization, called a friend to encourage them in their losses, or dropped off bottled water at a local church, we all helped in the way we could. That’s how the body of Christ works best. By ourselves, the work feels small. But together, we can change Greene County with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
On October 22, a benefit concert was held at Yeehaw Brewery in Knoxville. Barry joined with other prominent musicians and when it was all said and done, they had raised $25,000 to help flood victims. He then worked with his band, Woodbox Heroes, to do two shows that they streamed online to collect donations. “I had two friends of mine call and pledge $5,000 a piece,” Barry explained. “I leveraged that with Wood Box Heroes donations and got $12,000 worth of portable heaters and propane which we delivered to the West Yancey Volunteer Fire Department over in Burnsville, North Carolina.”
When my husband, John and fellow FCC’er Meredith Shrader were asked to start a medical clinic in Asheville days after the storm, Barry’s other involvements didn’t stop him. He jumped into our ministry as well, helping coordinate donations, drop-offs, and pick-ups. He used his platform to spread the word on Facebook and Instagram and continued to bring attention to the plight of our friends and family in our area. “Hillbillies can get things done,” Bales said. “And they are.”
And so is Barry. Both Barry and Aliceson argued with me about writing this story. They said that what they did wasn’t substantial. But what Barry and Aliceson did was exactly what all of us should be doing everyday. They used their talents and resources and connections to reach the community around us with the love of Jesus. Propane heaters may not seem like a big deal. But each of those heaters is a little gift that can remind people they are not alone.
Thank you Barry and Aliceson for being the hands and feet of Jesus. May we all be reminded to play our part in reaching the world with the Good News.
I remember asking her what her husband did for a living. It was only after our third meeting that I learned he was a musician. And it took another month before I discovered he was a “famous” musician (albeit Aliceson would never use that word.) You’ll never hear Barry or Aliceson mention that Barry has won 15 Grammy Awards playing Bass for Allison Krauss and Union Station.
It was that same humble and unassuming attitude that I encountered when trying to write this story. Both Barry and Aliceson, as is typical, tried to deflect. “I didn’t really do a whole lot other than answer the phone,” Barry explained to me when I asked him to discuss some of the help he provided to the community after Helene ravaged our area. Barry found the idea of me writing a story to share how he was helping, unnecessary, and I wondered if I’d get him to tell me anythingat all.
That’s just the way with Barry and Aliceson. Even down to their choice of home. Instead of living in the country music capital of the world, they live in South Greene on land that has been in his family since 1882. Bales Farms is located just a few miles from the Nolichucky River, but, like many of us, impact of the flood simply became a matter of topography. Their own farm unaffected, when Barry received a text a few days after the storm from County Commissioner Lisa Anderson asking for help at local Orebank Volunteer Fire Department, Barry immediately responded and took his wife and 17-year-old son Marshall to help distribute water to community members in need.
Expecting to carry cases of water to people’s car, the Chief instead asked Barry and Marshall to join him and his crew as they began initial assessment of how best to help people clean up. “We went to an area that I’ve spent a lot of time in and around,” Barry recalls. “I’ve hunted and fished that river for years and years, and I was still having a hard time getting my bearings on where I was because the banks of the river once had gigantic trees and now they are all gone . . . There were no trees standing anymore, sand everywhere, mud everywhere. I was speechless.”
Many of the volunteers were using their own equipment to help their community members, and Barry credits volunteer firefighters for taking it upon themselves to care for their people. “That’s what is special about this part of the world,” he said. “And I think this kind of spirit is ingrained.”
The truck that Marshall and Barry were in started making their way around town, filling people’s livestock watering tanks during the water outage. When the water would run out in their truck, they’d go to the creek and fill up again and then bring more water. This wasn’t only in their jurisdiction either. They were helping anyone they could. Meanwhile, Aliceson was back at headquarters helping distribute bottled water to anyone who came by and needed it.
Like many people after Helene ravaged our area, Barry and Aliceson began helping as the Lord personally called them. Most of us feel like what we personally contributed was very small, but that’s the whole point! Whether we made a donation to a local organization, called a friend to encourage them in their losses, or dropped off bottled water at a local church, we all helped in the way we could. That’s how the body of Christ works best. By ourselves, the work feels small. But together, we can change Greene County with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
On October 22, a benefit concert was held at Yeehaw Brewery in Knoxville. Barry joined with other prominent musicians and when it was all said and done, they had raised $25,000 to help flood victims. He then worked with his band, Woodbox Heroes, to do two shows that they streamed online to collect donations. “I had two friends of mine call and pledge $5,000 a piece,” Barry explained. “I leveraged that with Wood Box Heroes donations and got $12,000 worth of portable heaters and propane which we delivered to the West Yancey Volunteer Fire Department over in Burnsville, North Carolina.”
When my husband, John and fellow FCC’er Meredith Shrader were asked to start a medical clinic in Asheville days after the storm, Barry’s other involvements didn’t stop him. He jumped into our ministry as well, helping coordinate donations, drop-offs, and pick-ups. He used his platform to spread the word on Facebook and Instagram and continued to bring attention to the plight of our friends and family in our area. “Hillbillies can get things done,” Bales said. “And they are.”
And so is Barry. Both Barry and Aliceson argued with me about writing this story. They said that what they did wasn’t substantial. But what Barry and Aliceson did was exactly what all of us should be doing everyday. They used their talents and resources and connections to reach the community around us with the love of Jesus. Propane heaters may not seem like a big deal. But each of those heaters is a little gift that can remind people they are not alone.
Thank you Barry and Aliceson for being the hands and feet of Jesus. May we all be reminded to play our part in reaching the world with the Good News.
Posted in Tell the Story