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On Tuesday, November 24th at 153 Smokey Park Highway in Asheville, N.C. near the recently redesigned Smokey Park Highway Ingles Store #031, Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM) will be receiving a ceremonial key from Ingles to open ABCCM Christmas Angel Shop for 2020.
Ingles is donating their space for ABCCM to fill the Christmas wishes of hundreds of children whose families come to ABCCM’s four Crisis Ministry centers for assistance. Ingles Timothy Barrett, Event Manager and Melissa Leavell, Advertising Director will present the ceremonial key to ABCCM Executive Director, Rev. Scott Rogers. “Ingles is so happy to be part of this project again this year,” Melissa Leavell said. “Last year this brought joy to so many and this year the need is greater.”
Last year, 299 families and 697 children were sponsored for Christmas through the Christmas Angel Program. These families are going through a difficult time and in financial crisis. They came to ABCCM for help with rent or utilities, clothes and food, during the year; and at this time of year, they are helped with Christmas presents for their children. Thanks to Ingles for donating this same space last year, we had a place to serve families in need and can again this year.
Families are sponsored for Christmas through individuals, businesses and churches who take families’ wish-lists and purchase presents for specific children. The Christmas Angel Shop also sponsors families through toy drives that are done throughout the community in businesses, restaurants and churches. Some people also donate money to the program. Through these various ways of sponsoring families, everyone who comes to ABCCM in need for this help is sponsored. We appreciate Ingles generosity for helping accomplish this for the needy in our community.
Christmas Angel applications will be received now through the first two weeks of December at all four ABCCM Crisis Ministry locations: 24 Cumberland Ave. Asheville, N.C. 28801, 1914 Smoky Park Hwy., Candler, N.C., 28715, 10 Buck Shoals Road, Arden, N.C. 28704, and 403 Weaverville Hwy., Asheville, N.C. 28804. If you wish to sponsor a child or donate new toys, new clothes, and other Christmas items, go to abccm.org/Christmas-Angel-2020.
About ABCCM:
Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM) is one of the key non-profit organizations addressing poverty, hunger, homelessness and access to health care for the under-served in Buncombe County, serving over 40,000 individuals in 2018. Begun as a small collaboration of churches in 1969, and in its fiftieth year, ABCCM has played a significant role in meeting emergency assistance needs for families in crisis, coordinating religious services and education activities at the jail, providing transitional and permanent supportive housing of the homeless through 300 beds, increasing access to health care for half the uninsured and medically underserved; as well as work readiness, mentoring and job placement services. We serve veterans across 49 WNC counties. ABCCM is generously supported by 289 congregations of all denominations and faith groups; plus 7,000 trained volunteers and provides emergency assistance to anyone in need regardless of age, sex, religion or ethnic background.
