Help Thy Neighbor
Teach A Man To Fish
Old World Herbs
Traveling Education
My name is Dalton Cloninger and I am a Master Herbalist with a love for hands on work. Shortly after completing my service in the Navy as a Religious Program Specialist and certified Search and Rescue (SAR) swimmer, I set out on a new adventure—converting a school bus into a rugged RV.
A year later, my project was complete, and it has since taken me on journeys from Colorado to Alabama, and now the mountains of Western North Carolina, and into Maryland.
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Onboard, I carry a Yamaha XT250, which allows me to leave the bus behind and tackle rough roads and challenging terrain. With my trail-riding experience in Colorado, I’m well-equipped to handle intense off-road conditions or long highway stretches.​
This capability has been vital, especially when traveling into the wilderness in search of plant species, or accessing tight inner city roads to find homeless individuals.
Many charities that support homeless individuals provide essential services such as warmth, clean running water, and meals.
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Our unique approach as an educational non-profit focuses on combating insecurities by teaching people how to safely use local wild plants as food and medicine. This knowledge, once commonly passed down, has been largely forgotten. By offering access to free wild plant identification and traditional uses as well as modern research on each plant, we aim to promote community empowerment and self-reliance.
Old World Herbs: The Approach
Hurricane Efforts
Importance of Herbal Medicine
With the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene coming to light I have shifted all of my research and focus on helping the victims.
I believe that the knowledge gained from herbal medicine is crucial especially after natural disasters, when human supply is sharply cut off.
Cold Appalachian Winter
Oct - Jun 2025
The winter of 2024 definitely tested the fortitude of the bus, her heating and insulation. And all of the same for my two cats!
This winter in WNC was considered one of the harshest in recent times, with over a dozen major snow events and high winds through the majority of it.
And though I am extremely grateful for the bus and its winter abilities, I was constantly worrying about those who had lost their homes and shelter from this terrible storm. Especially those with children or the elderly
The distribution center I volunteered at for over 9 months handed out over 2 thousand Propane Heaters and 1,500+ electric heaters. Aswell as Hundreds of 0- sleeping bags, handwarmers, wool socks, and quality jackets.
ALL FOR FREE, donated by We The People.
The sheer effort from the community (42 US States) was incredible and difficult to put into words.
Christmas Time!
Dec 2024 \ Post Helene
The amount of NEW toys, puzzles, books, and warm clothing that were donated for our Christmas event was honestly staggering. We wrapped and prepared presents for over 1,700 children who had been affected by Helene. And still we had thousands of toys basically overflowing from the back of the building.
During this time I also ran their tik-tok page so I'm in, or am the subject of most of them. Also I had to use cheesy licensed sounds haha
