Sales of the catered Break Your Fast meals will support Jewish Family Services’ holiday meal program, which delivers kosher meals to isolated seniors.
MANNA FoodBank needs help to help others
While the community’s need continues to grow, the nonprofit’s pool of volunteers has declined.
ASAP expands Double SNAP program at weekly tailgate markets
The program, explains communications coordinator Sarah Hart, allows the market to make a 100 percent match on dollars spent through SNAP. “People swipe their SNAP card for $5 and get $10 in tokens to shop the market,” she says.
Asheville participates in Food Matters Project waste reduction initiative
“This initiative will help us gather information to better understand food waste reduction efforts and how we can best communicate those with both business and residential users,” says Asheville sustainability officer Amber Weaver.
Asheville Strong Fund provides crisis relief for small businesses
“We are especially looking to help fund microbusinesses with sole proprietors who have really fallen through gaps in other funding,” says fund co-founder Catherine Campbell.
The BLOCK Off Biltmore has closed, but its free CommUNITY Meals initiative continues
Although The Block is closed for business, owner Cam MacQueen intends to keep the CommUNITY Meals initiative going.
Fundraising dinner brings the experience to donors’ homes
The Free Clinics’ annual Sunset Dining event adapts with delivered meals and virtual entertainment.
Asheville inn owners ship baked goods to service members
In search of a virtual volunteer opportunity, Karen and Steve Wilson rallied inns across the U.S. to join their new effort, Inn Support of Our Troops.
Public schools segue to summer feeding programs
In many Western North Carolina schools, cafeteria kitchens have never been busier as districts stepped up to continue providing meals to students through the end of the calendar year, then transitioned to summer feeding programs tweaked to meet current needs.
Asheville Strong collects local recipes to support Restaurant Workers Relief Fund
The digital cookbook raises money to support hospitality workers while keeping people connected to their favorite restaurants through recipes that allow them to recreate menu items in their home kitchens.
Slow Food Asheville celebrates okra with Heritage Food Project
The okra selected for the 2020 project, Aunt Hettie’s Red, boasts both regional roots and modern acclaim. Last September, the variety was crowned the best of 54 in “The Single Biggest Chef-Centered Okra Tasting Day Ever” contest staged by the Utopian Seed Project.
Luxury chocolate maker pivots from bonbon molds to face shields
“The face shields are a necessity for people putting their lives on the line,” says Refined Designs Chocolate owner Timothy Maguire. “The chocolates are a morale booster, and we’re happy to do what we can.”
Dining Out for Life fundraiser tweaks model in response to restaurant closures
For 18 years, the Western North Carolina Aids Project has counted on the generosity of local, independent restaurants to fuel its annual fundraiser. With those restaurants struggling to stay afloat, WNCAP is hoping to return their kindness with a COVID-19 twist on Dining Out for Life. “Typically, the event model is based on participating restaurants […]
Kimberly Hunter weaves strong community webs through cooperative development
“I’m trying to convene people who care in a way that will help the folks who are being left out, because there’s a high percentage of our friends and neighbors who won’t make it.” says Hunter about her work in response to the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
New initiative connects local farmers with residents facing food insecurity
The We Give a Share Program helps both small farms and local families struggling to put food on the table.
Grassroots Aid Partnership mobilizes to provide free meals
GAP co-founder and Asheville business owner David Anderson brings the national disaster relief organization home, setting up a mobile kitchen in West Asheville.
Asheville Housing Authority turns to local chefs to reopen Southside Community Kitchen
A partnership between the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville and Green Opportunities is bringing together local chefs to cook meals for home-bound residents.
Diversification grants help a new generation of farmers maintain family land
WNC’s family farms are broadening their horizons to explore new avenues for income.
Travis Smith equips city with Asheville Tool Library
Smith, who volunteers and serves on the library’s board, says the nonprofit has reached more than 300 paid members and is still growing. As a result, items such power washers and circular saws spend more time building and cleaning than they do collecting dust.
Anthony Thomas makes connections
Thomas’s UpStaff Personnel, an offshoot of the nonprofit Green Opportunities, connects unemployed and under-resourced community members with employers. Unlike other staffing agencies, he explains, the company also provides employees with a network of support, including transportation, child care and counseling.
Biz Briefs: Airport serves over 1 million passengers in 2018
Passenger numbers increased by 18.6 percent compared to 2017, assisted by new nonstop routes to destinations such as Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa, Fla. A recent economic impact study found that the airport contributes nearly $1.5 billion per year to the local economy.