The $600 checks represent the first federal assistance many in WNC have received to cope with the economic fallout of the pandemic since the first coronavirus relief package was signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 27.
With interest in birth centers soaring, local facility struggles to cover costs
When Emma Strickland learned she was pregnant with her second child, she started looking for an alternative to a hospital birth. She found it at the WNC Birth Center. The center is open during the COVID pandemic but has had to scale back on some of its related services. Ironically, that’s led to a shortage of income at a time when women like Strickland find themselves increasingly drawn to a birth center.
Green in brief: SAHC conserves nearly 3,000 acres; OGS gets social
The Asheville-based nonprofit Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy’s work included both valuable wildlife habitats, such as the Wiles Creek and Little Rock Creek preserves, and prime farmland at risk of development. Sandy Hollar Farms in Buncombe County and Bowditch Bottoms in Yancey County were among the agricultural projects completed in 2020.
From CPP: 20% less food donated, 68% more need in NC
North Carolina food assistance programs struggle under economic stress of continuing pandemic.
News in brief: Dogwood Health Trust releases annual report, new jobs come to Fletcher
The foundation approved roughly $47 million in grants throughout the year, including over $3 million for personal protective equipment, $5 million to address substance use disorder, $3.7 million for racial equity and $3 million toward affordable housing.
Major milestones, unprecedented challenges for local media outlets in 2020
Former Xpress managing editor Jon Elliston shares his recap of key developments in 2020’s local media landscape.
Reflections on 2020 from WNC’s environmental movement
For many environmental organizations across Western North Carolina, COVID-19 fell like a lightning-struck tree across the path to progress. But like an intrepid hiker, WNC’s activists and organizers have bushwhacked new trails for action in the world of the pandemic.
2020 in review: Trends in motion
Xpress Assistant Editor Daniel Walton and local community figures discuss how the year’s events have accelerated many of the issues that were already facing Western North Carolina.
From CPP: Pandemic wearing NC nonprofits thin
Organizations providing food assistance to North Carolinians experience higher demand as unemployment increases.
Green in brief: Ecusta Trail under contract, Arboretum launches kids bird-watching program
On Nov. 18, nonprofit Conserving Carolina announced that it had entered a contract to buy an unused 19-mile rail corridor between Brevard and Hendersonville for conversion into a greenway. Backers hope the Ecusta Trail will become a regional draw for running and biking enthusiasts.
From Asheville Watchdog: Nonprofit Mission made lots of profits, especially for bosses
Tax records examined by Asheville Watchdog reveal that in the decade leading up to the $1.5 billion sale of Asheville’s community-owned hospital system, a steadily increasing amount of Mission’s revenue went to salaries and bonuses for an increasingly crowded suite of non-clinical executives.
From CPP: New NC group encourages chasing waterfalls
Hikers and photographers from across the state have formed Waterfall Keepers of North Carolina to care for and protect the natural wonder of waterfalls.
Hikers set speed record on Smokies trails
Nancy Mercure East, a retired veterinarian from Waynesville, and her hiking partner, Air Force veteran Chris Ford of Knoxville, Tenn., set a new record for hiking all of the park’s trails on Oct. 3 with a time of 29 days, 10 hours and 12 minutes. The two shattered the previous mark of 33 days set by Knoxville trail runner Jeff Woody.
On gratitude: Sophie Mullinax
“I have overwhelming gratitude for the people who voted for our climate in the recent election.”
On gratitude: Rev. Scott Hardin-Nieri
“The current trends eroding our once-common values honoring truth, wisdom and collaboration will not extinguish my steady hope for our national and global future — a hope for policies and practices that serve all people and planet, starting with our own hearts and relentlessly expanding love into backyards, city streets, forests and beyond.”
On gratitude: Angela Shepherd
“With our diverse backgrounds, experiences and deep, heartfelt passion for conservation, I kind of feel like the Avengers assembled — and we always end our meetings with ‘go team.'”
BeLoved Asheville co-directors are thankful for a vibrant, generous community
“In the midst of 2020, we learned that the impossible can become possible through the power of community.”
School gardens keep growing despite pandemic
Jodie Williams, a teacher at Bell’s School for People Under Six in Fletcher, recently received a Henderson County award for supporting student health and wellness through gardening. But with many students learning online due to COVID-19, Williams and other local educators are digging deep to keep their school gardens viable.
Charitable organizations swamped with donations
For many area nonprofits, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a unique problem: Too many donations are coming in to secondhand resell stores, leaving staff scrambling to process a flood of items.
Health in brief: St. Gerard House expands services for autistic teens
Annual events move to Zoom, nonprofits prepare for Thanksgiving and more area wellness news.
Regional businesses share success with nonprofits
For many WNC nonprofits, business support and partnerships comprise a significant part of their budgets. And while Asheville has a comparatively large number of nonprofits per capita, area businesses rise to the need.