Prine’s Hello in There Foundation helping Gulfport residents

Fiona Whelan Prine is giving back to her Gulfport friends and neighbors.

Prine, whose 56th Street home is less than two blocks from Gulfport Beach, evacuated Sept. 25 as Hurricane Helene approached. “I took what was precious,” she said, “and the rest was destroyed.”

When she returned after the storm, “it was evident that I’d had, altogether, probably four or five feet of water in the back of the house. And a couple of feet in the front.

“We salvaged some stuff, and I donated it already, and the rest is sitting out on the sidewalk.”

Prine bought the Gulfport house in 2005 with her husband, singer/songwriter John Prine. Since his death from Covid in 2020, she has continued to live there.

Named for one of her late husband’s songs, The Hello in There Foundation raises money for various causes, including helping victims of natural disasters.

“We immediately made an appeal,” she said, “and we’ve raised a lot of money already.” Probably $50,000, she believes, earmarked for hurricane disaster relief in Gulfport.

Through Oct. 8, The Hello in There Foundation will match, 1:1, all donations earmarked for Gulfport hurricane aid. Donate here.

Proceeds from the Foundation’s Oct. 9-12 “You Got Gold” concerts in Nashville will go towards hurricane relief in all states affected by Helene. “We’ll spread it all the way through where it’s needed through the southeast.”

The Prines raised their two sons, for part of every year, in Gulfport. “This was our home from home,” she said. “This is where John was able to actually have down time away from the road.

“People knew us, and we had amazing, incredible neighbors and friends. And John just absolutely adored it. I mean, walk to the beach, have a hot dog, say hello to a few neighbors – and honestly, it’s been a refuge for me since John died.

“I don’t know that I’ll be able to come back to that house, but I’ll continue to be in this area, somewhere.”

(This is a re-edited excerpt from the Catalyst story Broken but not beaten, Gulfport faces a long road back.)