Net funds raised by food sales at the recent Village Art and Craft Fair are about $15,200, chairman Jeanne Cagle reports. Some All Souls funds designated for outreach were added to this, and in all, more than $17,700 will be awarded to non-profits in the Asheville area.
The allocations committee studied 45 applications and recommended that proceeds be divided between nine groups: Project March (Children First), Black Mountain Welcome Table, Bountiful Cities Project, Calvary Episcopal Food Pantry, Centro de Enlace, The Hope Chest, Women at Risk (WCCJ), YouthOUTright, and the New Choices Program (YWCA).
Children First
Children First’s Project MARCH serves youth at three apartment complexes in West Asheville. The project provides a free program of “safe” space and activities for children after school, including academic assistance, a healthy snack, and enrichment activities. The Project currently serves 60 children, and there are waiting lists at all three locations. The space used is donated, so there are no overhead costs; the learning centers’ funds are used entirely for the work with the children. Money from the award will be used for bus expenses, supplies, and cameras.
Project MARCH enables disadvantaged children to succeed in their school activities and instills in them a sense of self-worth and a desire to demonstrate their value as human beings.
Black Mountain Welcome Table
The Welcome Table provides fellowship and a delicious meal to seniors who might otherwise lack both. The organization also involves other groups in the area such as the women’s prison. They are a green organization, using dishware instead of paper and plastic. Local business people come to share the meal and donate towards its cost. Leftover food is donated to a recovery house.
Bountiful Cities
Bountiful Cities is a ten year-old, all-volunteer organization whose mission is “to create, on urban land, beautiful community spaces which provide food in abundance and foster a learning environment for social justice and sustainability.” Their core values are: community, social justice, education and sustainability. They have an impressive community garden in Montford and are helping to develop a community garden in the Hillcrest Community as well as other sites in the urban Asheville area. Their grant will fund the installation of a 25’ x 48’ greenhouse at Hillcrest. The greenhouse will assist them in helping the Hillcrest community extend the growing season, from winter plants to spring starts. A group of residents meets on Thursday evenings to work in the garden at Hillcrest. Bountiful Cities has offered leadership, encouragement and tools to develop this garden.
Calvary Episcopal Church Food Pantry
The Food Pantry has been given a larger space for storage and processing. The grant money will be used to provide more refrigeration. The Pantry has 75 volunteers, with an increasing number of clients; last week 81 families and 309 persons were served. The Pantry provides basic food, fresh produce, toiletries, and laundry detergent, and seeks many sources of contributions. Some former clients are now contributors!
Centro De Enlace
Centro de Enlace employs access, advocacy, education, and community organizing to empower Yancey County Latinos to successfully enjoy the full range of opportunities available to them. The Center responds to the needs of the Yancey County immigrant community, building solutions in collaboration with the larger community to assure the highest possible quality of life for all Yancey County residents. The Center is a primary point of reference for many immigrant needs or issues.
The organization offers a broad range of services to its target population, including food and rudimentary health services. The grant will be used, in part, to increase provisions for the Center’s Manna Food Bank. The food is distributed to Latino families who qualify for the free lunch program or other aid.
The Hope Chest for Women
The Hope Chest for Women serves WNC women diagnosed with a breast or gynecologic cancer who are experiencing economic difficulties due to treatment cost.
The Hope Chest aids women and their families in the following ways: Offers assistance in areas that other organizations do not address, car repairs, beds, and carpentry materials for example; refers family and friends to support groups; encourages patients through distribution of “care” products; promotes healthy lifestyle choices at health fairs and community activities; and acts as a link to the American Cancer Society, Mountain Mobility, Eblen Charities, and other organizations to provide resources and coordinate services.
Women at Risk Program, WCCJ
Under the umbrella of Western Carolinians for Criminal Justice, Women at Risk is a community-based treatment program serving female offenders. It is the only organization in our area that provides anger management and abuser programs.
The grant will be used to fund the Deciding Against Violence program, which strives to lay groundwork for new possibilities for women, their children, and generations to come. It serves area mothers whose problems with anger management and family violence are compounded by mental health and substance abuse issues. Funds are needed for clinical staff to complete assessments and facilitate groups, case management staff to assess clients’ basic needs and assist with accessing resources, and child care needs during group sessions.
Youth OUTright
Youth OUTright is a youth advocacy and leadership program that provides support, information, and affirmation to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth (ages 14 to 23) in Western North Carolina. The goal of the organization is to provide these young people with a safe atmosphere to explore who they are and to empower them to be confident leaders in a diverse community. The organization also acts as an informational and educational resource for schools and other service providers to help them better serve the LGBTQ community. Funds from this grant will go towards maintaining the weekly meetings and activities that offer a safe community to the young people involved. The opportunity to have structured programs and events for these young adults to rely on is often the first step for them to recover from unhealthy family relationships and potential personal harm.
New Choices Program, YWCA
The New Choices program works with women in financial crisis, offering those things which form an often-forgotten barrier to employment and/or education. Grant money will allow the program to provide items such as uniforms, registration and test fees, shoes, transportation, and licenses. Without these, women seeking to improve their lives through work and/or education are faced with few options for self-improvement.
This program also maintains the only “drop-in” day care program in the greater Asheville area, allowing participants to pursue a job interview or class.