Special Report Finds Hurricane Relief Funds Went Toward Stress Balls, Succulent Plants, and a ‘Sobriety Bowl’ Event

The North Carolina Office of the State Auditor (OSA) released a special report on the use of Hurricane Helene mental health funds, citing purchases such as rhinoceros-shaped stress balls, succulent plants, and other comfort items and events.

After Hurricane Helene, the North Carolina General Assembly appropriated $16.75 million to the North Carolina Community College System, including $1.25 million for "Expanded Mental Health Support" (EMHS) for students and staff affected by the storm. As part of its ongoing monitoring of Hurricane Helene funds, OSA's Rapid Response Division reviewed select expenditures at three community colleges.

"Financial resources tend to become entangled in a web of spending when disaster strikes, which is why our office is working to bring transparency to how hurricane relief funds are spent," said State Auditor Dave Boliek. "By keeping lawmakers, stakeholders, and the public informed on hurricane relief spending, we can continue to improve how North Carolina responds to natural disasters."

The colleges used EMHS funds for items such as succulents and pots, stress balls, T-shirts, flowers, red-light and salt therapy, foot detox sessions, and guided birdwatching strolls. Specific purchases with EMHS funds included:

• Blue Ridge Community College spent $10,570 on 800 wellness journals and $1,651 on succulents and pots.
• Gaston College spent $5,223 on 2,000 rhinoceros-shaped stress balls.
• Wilkes Community College spent $350 on guided birdwatching-listening to bird songs and observing wildflowers-along public trails at W. Kerr Scott Dam and Reservoir.
• Wilkes Community College used funds for pizza, gift cards, and event materials for a "Sobriety Bowl" event.

The special report also identified weaknesses in procurement documentation and controls, increasing the risk of unauthorized purchases, improper payments, and reduced accountability. OSA's review of EMHS spending across the community college system found additional uses for the funds, including counseling and respite sessions, workshops, critical-incident stress management, and student assistance programs.

OSA recommended classifying expenditures that do not clearly align with the purpose of EMHS funds under institutional or student activity funds, correcting prepaid accounting errors, and strengthening pre-approval, coding, documentation, and vendor controls before charging purchases to EMHS funds. Responses from the community colleges are included in the report. In their responses, two colleges said certain expenses identified in the report would be reclassified to institutional or student activity funds, and Blue Ridge Community College noted it would limit the use of EMHS funds to mental health services only.