This year’s meal fed over 700 people and was served by community volunteers, including Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer, Vice Mayor Gwen Wisler, District Attorney Todd Williams and Terry Bellamy, director of communications for the Asheville Housing Authority.
Thirty years is a long time to devote to any pursuit, and Karen Cragnolin, the oft-honored founding mother of RiverLink, can attest to that. During that time, she says she held every job in the organization and was planning to finally move on this year when, during surgery, she suffered an aneurysm that robbed her […]
A few local organizations and businesses are highlighting gratitude and strengthening community this Thanksgiving through food-focused events that are open to all.
Asheville’s annual Goombay Festival offers learning and networking opportunities for culinary trainees.
MANNA FoodBank prepares for its largest fundraising party of the year, the Blue Jean Ball; David Meesters leads a class on healthy digestion at Villagers; Arancini makes another transformation into an Italian Sub spot; and Gaining Ground Farm and Yesterday Spaces host a dinner experience to benefit the GO Kitchen Ready program.
Western North Carolina is home to a number of Earth Day-related festivities and programs. Here’s a rundown of some of the most notable events.
The Fine Arts Theatre hosts a Works in Progress screening, the Asheville Jewish Film Festival announces the titles for its spring film series and Transplanting gets its UK debut.
Decades spent as a soul food chef, restaurateur and champion of equality issues have led Asheville resident Hanan Shabazz to her current role an instructor in the Green Opportunities Kitchen Ready culinary training program.
“Asheville on Bikes has always been about people,” says director Mike Sule, calling the organization’s events friendly and festive. Upcoming fundraiser Beers for Gears will fund more advocacy efforts at city and state levels.
As the new executive director of Green Opportunities, the green jobs training program that works with low-income Asheville residents, George C. Jones plans to continue the environmental consciousness that was practiced by previous leadership, but his tenure will be guided by his business background.
Longtime West End Bakery pastry chef Meg Schearer starts her own business, local chefs join the 2015 Competition Dining Series, Green Opportunities holds an open house and the Pisgah Field Schools offers a waterfall tour for wine lovers. Plus food writer Jonathan Ammons tells us about his favorite snack at Creekside Taphouse.
During the past few weeks, these cooks have gotten used to serving three-course meals to whoever shows up. But there are no point-of-sale systems, uniformed waitresses or fancy, laminated menus here, because this isn’t your average restaurant: It’s the Southside Community Kitchen on Livingston Street, the café for Green Opportunities’ Kitchen Ready program.
From the Get It! Guide: Whichever way employers define “sustainable,” incorporating the effort into the workplace requires creative thought and effort.
From the Get It! Guide: Green jobs, lush community gardens, community cookouts and water quality testing — these might not be things many in Asheville picture when they think of public housing. But residents says Asheville’s public housing neighborhoods are investing in their communities’ welfare and leading a growing interest in “greening” up the neighborhoods.
From the Get It! Guide: Joshua Young faced a difficult transition upon his release from a seven-year prison stint. “I said, ‘Joshua, what are you really going to do with your life?,’” Young recalls. At Green Opportunities, Young found the fair chance he needed to rebuild his life.
Volunteers come in all shapes and sizes, with skills ranging from data entry to hair and makeup design. Whatever your interests, talents or passion, there’s likely a nonprofit or community group in WNC that could use your help. To get you started, Xpress has rounded up 10 area groups seeking volunteers for 2015.
Local worker-owned mobile produce vendor Ujamaa Freedom Market was among 12 nonprofit organizations in the Southeast tapped to receive grants from Whole Foods Market’s Whole Cities Foundation.
The Center for Diversity Education at UNC Asheville hosted the day-long conference “Everybody’s Environment” on Friday, Oct. 10. The event invited staff from local environmental and conversation groups, community organizers and the public to discuss strategies for creating a more inclusive environmental movement, with more diverse staff at environmental organizations and stronger ties to the communities they serve.
As part of an ongoing effort to encourage energy-saving behaviors, the local Green Opportunities nonprofit has released a catchy hip hop music video,“Turn Off the Lights.”
Local nonprofit Green Opportunities coordinates everything from community gardens to the renovation of the Reid Center. The organization’s recently released annual report provides a glimpse at the scale of its efforts and funding.
While the continuing struggle over the fate of the city of Asheville’s water system was the evening’s main issue, Asheville City Council had plenty of other topics to tackle at last night’s session.
