Civilian Disaster Response Organization

Our mission

Civilian Disaster Response Organization (CDRO) supports farmers, homesteaders, seniors, and rural families throughout North Carolina through disaster assistance, food security, resource navigation, and community support. We provide a safe and welcoming place where people can come for help, information, referrals, food resources, and recovery assistance with dignity, respect, compassion, and without judgment.

Impact story

Imagine waking up after Hurricane Helene and discovering that the fences holding your livestock had been destroyed. Cattle, goats, and other animals were suddenly loose, wandering onto roads and into areas where first responders were trying to reach families in need. Farmers were facing the immediate danger of losing their animals while emergency crews were struggling to safely navigate disaster damaged communities. CDRO responded quickly. We provided emergency temporary fencing to help farmers contain their livestock and reduce hazards for first responders. As families moved from immediate survival toward recovery, we provided permanent fencing, replacement feeders and waterers, hay, feed, and other essential livestock supplies. Because of donor support, CDRO was able to assist 2,088 farmers and homesteaders across Western North Carolina following Hurricane Helene. But our work does not stop when the immediate disaster is over. At our community resource center in Leicester, we provide a safe and welcoming place where people can come when they need help. Our programs include a community garden, a 24/7 free produce stand, and a food pantry that help provide access to fresh, nutritious food for people who may otherwise struggle to afford it. We also connect people with disaster recovery programs, food assistance, housing resources, government services, and trusted community organizations. For seniors and families facing transportation, internet, or technology barriers, having a physical place where they can walk in and speak with someone can make all the difference. Your gift has a direct impact on this work. It helps keep the doors of our resource center open. It helps pay for rent, power, internet, and other essential operating costs. It helps keep food available through our pantry and 24/7 produce stand. It helps maintain our community garden and supports our ability to respond when farmers and families need emergency assistance. Your gift can help put food on a table, keep livestock safely contained, provide a farmer with the fencing needed to protect their animals, or connect a senior with the assistance they have been unable to access on their own. The impact of your gift is not abstract. It helps keep a door open, a pantry stocked, a garden growing, a produce stand available around the clock, an animal safely contained, and a family connected to the help they need. When disaster or hardship leaves people with nowhere else to turn, your gift helps make sure CDRO is there.

Organization details

EIN

83-2345166

Founded

2019

Headquarters

Leicester, NC

Website

https://www.cdro.us

Listed on Jubily

9/24/2026