Bethenny Frankel's Org 'The Best' In Asheville After Helene

Bethenny Frankel's Hurricane Helene response received high praise from residents of the affected areas, but her involvement has gone almost entirely unnoticed.

If you're a fan of Bravo's second-longest running and genre-defining Real Housewives Of New York City, you will likely remember Bethenny as one of the network's first breakout reality TV stars.

As we recently reported, Bethenny was spotted walking the runway for L'Oreal at Paris Fashion Week in late September — and even though Frankel has famously fallen out with Bravo bigwig Andy Cohen, she's killing it on social media as a beauty guru.

But that's not all Bethenny is doing.

She had two stints on RHONY, from 2008 until 2011, and again from 2015 to 2019.

In 2017, Bethenny founded BStrong, a non-governmental organization (NGO) and 501(c)3 designed to provide "emergency assistance to people in crisis."

A lot of celebrities have charitable initiatives set up in their names, but Bethenny's drew praise from everyday people suffering in the devastating wake of Hurricane Helene this week.

Bethenny Frankel on a red carpet and in one of her TikTok videos trying beauty products

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Bethenny Frankel's BStrong Was First On The Ground After Helene

Residents Said BStrong Had The Best Supply Distribution

On Bethenny's website, a section for BStrong indicated that plans to aid those affected by Hurricane Helene were in place before the storm made landfall.

It's not clear when the information was updated, but it appeared to be when Helene was on track to hit Florida:

"As Hurricane Helene makes its way towards Florida’s Gulf Coast, [Global Empowerment Mission/GEM] is already prepositioning its response.

"We are prepared with Family Necessity Kits and other critical supplies to provide to any of those who may be affected by the storm. We are also forming flexible plans to be able to respond immediately after the storm passes. The National Hurricane Center warns those in Helene’s path can be faced with 'life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds, and flooding rain.'"

On September 25, the Associated Press' pre-Helene coverage focused on Florida, a state with vulnerable, low-lying areas traditionally in the path of tropical storms and hurricanes.

As we all know now, Hurricane Helene's unprecedented path caused horrific damage far further inland than is typical, and residents in affected areas were blindsided by the widespread destruction.

On the 25th, National Hurricane Center Deputy Director Jamie Rhome acknowledged in a briefing that the Center doesn't "normally issue tropical storm warnings this far inland or for this part of the country."

Yesterday, someone on Reddit's r/BravoRealHousewives spotted a mention of Bethenny's organization BStrong in a thread on r/AMA ("Ask Me Anything"):

A screenshot from the r/AMA thread in question was attached.

That thread, submitted on October 1, was titled "I live in Asheville in the wake of Helene. On day 5 without power or water. AMA," and the person who posted it answered questions about the aftermath of the storm.

One user asked which agencies ("federal, state, nonprofits, etc.") were visibly responding, and whether they were "doing so effectively."

It wasn't clear whether the poster was aware of Bethenny Frankel's connection to BStrong, but they identified BStrong as the most helpful to affected residents:

"Private organizations got here first. BStrong was the best supply distribution I've personally gotten as they did more than just water.

"[The] Coast Guard, National Guard, and FEMA are all here now. Individuals not affiliated with any groups have been moving supplies here too."

BStrong's Helene section mentioned "Family Necessity Kits and other critical supplies," which it seemed the user mentioned, describing the boxes as "more than just water."

Interestingly, other commenters said that they not only expected Bethenny's BStrong to step up, they also visited Bethenny's Instagram profile to ameliorate their concerns about aid after Helene:

"BStrong is amazing as she hands out money cards to people directly. As well as always being one of the first on scene. I’m always amazed by them."

"I was really panicked about flooding in NC bc I wasn’t seeing anything about the response/aid, so I went to Bethenny’s insta bc I knew she’d have a plan. Happy to hear you’ve gotten some help. I hope more is coming soon."

It's a little unsettling that at least one person thought "Bethenny Frankel" before "FEMA," but it tracks with the submitter's experience.

It was also reflected on the r/BravoRealHousewives thread, where a fan said:

I emailed the BStrong account Sunday and was almost immediately replied to stating 'we’re already here for whatever you need!' And [I] almost cried.

Bethenny also shared a Reel about BStrong's efforts after Helene on October 1, and the attached post read:

"Sharing the latest #bstrong relief update — 💯goes to the effort!!

"Shoutout to @globalempowermentmission they’re the heroes who do all the work. I’m the visionary, strategist, messenger who created and manages this model. They run the day to day. Thank you for your love and support.❤️"

Bethenny addressed the pushback she received for appearing on Fox News, clarifying that BStrong's relief effort was apolitical, and helps "everyone."

A fan commented after spotting BStrong boxes on NBC News, again describing Bethenny's org as the most visible and comprehensive:

"I was so impressed tonight when NBC Nightly News was covering the devastated communities and the only thing they were handing out were 'bstrong' boxes. Thank you for all you do!"

At the end of her post, Bethenny added a link for those who wish to donate to Hurricane Helene aid efforts: Bethenny.com/bstrong.