As the Christmas holiday draws near, families are feeling the pressure of providing gifts for their spouses and children. With 20% of Asheville's population living at or below the poverty level, many are struggling to put food on their table or gas in their vehicles, much less using additional finances to fund Christmas gifts. 

Like with our recent Thanksgiving initiative, AshevilleBlog is reaching out to our community and support those who find themselves struggling or needing additional help this time of year. We want to reach families who may not qualify for other traditional means of support through other local gift giving programs. 

Our mission is to equip a minimum of 100 families with gifts for their children and spouses to ease the burden of holiday costs. In a unique twist, instead of handing out generic age appropriate gifts for children, we want to empower the families and make them a part of the gift selection process. Our staff and volunteers will be setting up a shop and inviting families in during set hours to select and gift wrap gifts for their children - completely free. 

We have set up several donation stations across Asheville where you can drop off items to be set up in our store. Items for children of all ages, including teenagers, are appreciated. We also encourage items such as blankets, candles, movies, and other items that will allow older children or spouses to gift to each other. 

If you are interested in making a financial contribution to allow us to buy items in bulk at a discounted price, you can PayPal money to Ashevilleblog@gmail.com, or contact us to arrange for pickup. 

If you can't contribute otherwise but are interested in volunteering, there will be a signup form available. We need individuals to help run the store, sort items, pick up donations, and do other odd jobs. 

The store will be only open for one weekend during limited hours, and more information will be coming shortly. If you or someone interested in applying to be able to shop for free, please fill out this short application (available soon). The more donations we get the more families we can serve. 

You can find our donation stations at these convenient locations:

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North Carolina has one the highest percentages in the United States of children under 18 years of age who are food insecure on a regular basis: 26.1%, or 1 in 4 people. In fact, NC is home to cities that have the highest levels of food insecurities in the nation, Asheville being one of them. To help battle this issue, many organizations like Manna Food Bank and Food Connection exist to prevent food waste, and keep those in need equipped with basic food essentials. However, there are always families and individuals who slip through the cracks, or are in a temporary, but difficult situation who are in need of help especially with the upcoming holiday season.

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On Monday, December 12th, Chef John Fleer (Rhubarb) and Catawba Brewing will host a Holiday Dinner benefitting The POP Project at Rhubarb’s Event Space in Asheville, NC.

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Local film maker and photographer David Huff launched the Dead Brew Movie project with a raucous teaser and Kickstarter page this week.

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In North Carolina, setting a table often coincides with setting a scene for memorable meals, noteworthy moments with loved ones and indelible experiences that are ingrained in the diners' minds far longer than tastes linger. 

More than 30 authors share stories about their experiences in The Carolina Table: North Carolina Writers on Food. A Yankee outlines the challenge she faced when finally learning to cook butter beans. A vegetarian sits down to a pork dinner. A journalist recalls mid-summer mater days in the newsroom. Contributors to The Carolina Table show what North Carolinians know to be true—our foodways contain our culture, our history, our priorities, our health, our wealth, our poverty and our souls. 

“The collection of voices in The Carolina Table speaks to our diversity and character,” explains award-winning author Randall Kenan, who edited the collection and wrote the introduction. “Should someone look for a definition of what it means to be a North Carolinian now, this anthology will give a very solid, and flavorful, idea.” 

About Randall Kenan: 
Professor of English at UNC-Chapel Hill, Kenan is a novelist, journalist and food writer. A former editor at Knopf, he has received numerous awards for his work, including the North Carolina Award for Literature and the Rome Prize for the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

About Eno Publishers:
Eno is a nonprofit publisher dedicated to producing high-quality books in all formats about the culture and history of the Carolinas and the South.

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 Asheville will be one of more than 20 cities around the world where World Climate simulations will be held this week on Tuesday, October 11, 2016, 5:30 – 8 p.m. Other locations include cities in Ghana, Ethiopia, South Korea, Argentina, UK, and Nigeria. World Climate is the award-winning “serious game” designed in Asheville by Climate Interactive, an organization with offices at The Collider.

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River Arts District Artists Aim to “Feed the Body and Soul” by collecting ½ Ton of Food for Manna at Fall Studio Stroll

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The Henderson County Education Foundation (HCEF) will kick off the celebration of its 30th anniversary with an event on the steps of the Henderson County Historic Courthouse on Thursday, October 13 at 4:30 pm. The event is free and the public is invited to attend. 

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On Monday, October 3, New Mountain AVL celebrates the grand opening of The Summit -- taking over the top floor of the New Mountain complex located at 38 North French Broad Avenue in downtown Asheville.

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The Asheville Symphony’s October concert—“In the Key of EEEEEEEEEEE!”—features two works perfect for the Halloween season: Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre, and Schmitt’s La Tragédie de Salomé. The evening concludes with the symphony’s own concertmaster Jason Posnock and guest cellist Alistair MacRae performing Brahms’ Concerto for Violin and Cello. The concert takes place Saturday, October 22 at 8 p.m. in Thomas Wolfe Auditorium under the direction of ASO Music Director Daniel Meyer.

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