ASHEVILLE – After Tropical Storm Helene, director Zurilma Anuel and her team at the Western Women’s Business Center in Asheville brought Starlinks and printed grant applications — translated in both English and Spanish — to rural businesses. Without internet access, many businesses didn’t know what help was available.

Back at the office, the nonprofit team manually digitized the physical applications. The business center, a part of the Carolina Small Business Development Fund, has released over $55 million of its own grant funding to small businesses across Western North Carolina, with more funding in the works, Anuel told the Citizen Times Oct. 28.

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