As Ocracoke continues to recover from Hurricane Dorian, North Carolina chef and PBS star Vivian Howard announced she is expanding a fundraiser to help rebuild more Ocracoke restaurants.
Howard, host of the award-winning PBS show, “A Chef’s Life,” last week began selling T-shirts emblazoned with the saying “One Island Under Tacos” to benefit Eduardo’s, a beloved taco stand. The response to the fundraiser has been so great that Howard and Eduardo Chavez decided this week to help more restaurateurs on Ocracoke.
“Y’all have bought 1,500 shirts,” Howard says. “It’s going so well that Eduardo has requested we share the funds with his fellow restaurateurs on Ocracoke. We’re looking for a partner to help distribute the proceeds. Please keep buying T-shirts. Ocracoke is a rare gem. Your purchase will help rebuild Ocracoke’s restaurant and tourism industries."
As the eye of Hurricane Dorian moved past Ocracoke, a barrier island 26 miles off the North Carolina coast, water from the Pamlico Sound rushed into the village, rising seven feet in two hours. Floodwaters reached unprecedented levels and damaged many homes and businesses.
Each shirt costs $25 plus shipping; 100 percent of the profits will be donated to Ocracoke restaurant owners. The shirts are on sale until midnight Oct. 25 and will ship starting on Nov. 15.
T-shirts can be purchased at vivianhoward.com/products/one-island-under-tacos.
Last year, Howard sold “Country as Cornbread” T-shirts to help those affected by Hurricane Florence. The effort raised almost $65,000 for the North Carolina Community Foundation’s Disaster Relief Fund, which directed the funds to residents of Jones County.