Two men sharing a toast outdoors, sitting at a table with a chessboard, surrounded by green plants and a colorful floral mural in the background, one wearing a straw hat and the other with curly black hair.
Black and white logo for 12 Baskets Cafe, featuring a fish and a loaf of bread above the text, with decorative wheat accents and a dotted circular border, representing Asheville Poverty Initiative, established 2016.

Simply by sitting and eating with someone you might otherwise never bump into: Stereotypes are dismantled. Fear reduced. Hope empowered.

We invite you to 12 Baskets Café, where community and compassion come together. Join us for coffee, conversation, and community! Everyone is welcome to share in the abundance of rescued food at 610 Haywood Rd, West Asheville.

An elderly man with white hair is sitting outdoors, embracing a young child who is hugging him, amid a setting with tables, chairs, and a rocky, earthy background. The scene suggests a casual gathering, possibly a picnic or outdoor meal, with another person in the background eating at a table.

Cafe Hours

Two women sitting at an outdoor wooden table, smiling, with food on the table, and a person in the background near a whiteboard with a colorful mural on a purple wall nearby.
A woman standing outside the entrance of a store labeled '12 Baskets cafe,' smiling and gesturing towards the door. She is wearing sunglasses, a cap, a pink T-shirt, denim shorts, sandals, and a black apron. There are plants in pots outside the store, and a mural of fish on the glass door.

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday:

10 am cafe opens for coffee

11 am to 1 pm - Lunch is served and free store is open

Regular weekly events:

Tech Help Tues with Jensen and Sebastian - Tuesday 10:30 am to 12:30 pm

Reiki in the garden with Judith - Tuesday 11:00 am to 1:00 pm

Street Medics - Monday, Thursday, & Friday 11:00 am to 1:00 pm

New Volunteer orientation - Thursday 10:00 am

Community Paramedics - Thursday 11:00 am

Community Chaplain Hill Brown - Monday, Tuesday, & Friday 11:00 am to 1:00 pm

Community Chaplain - Monday & Tuesday 11:00 am to 1:00 pm

Creative Writing Collective - Friday 1:00 pm (You can check out their website here!)

Cafe Co-Work and Wellness - Saturday 11:00 am to 1:00 pm

Get involved at the cafe!

Our cafe is a gathering space for people from all walks of life – those experiencing physical hunger, those seeking a sense of belonging, and those eager to contribute. At API, we hunger for community, and our cafe reflects this shared feast of food and good company in a "by-donation" style.

Contribute in ways that resonate with you, whether through cash or monthly donations, helping with dishwashing or serving, or assisting in post-lunch cleanup. Everyone is greeted warmly and invited to the table. Donations are appreciated to cover rent and materials.

At 12 Baskets Cafe, we receive donations of high-quality, surplus food from local businesses and the food service industry. These donations, which would otherwise go to waste, are collected by API companions and repurposed for sharing. Join us in fostering a community where everyone has a seat at the table. Find out more about that here.

We function like a cafe/restaurant so you would help by casually waiting on tables, helping with dishes, or helping in our free grocery store. There is always time for you to sit down to eat and meet people yourself as well! Please use this link to sign up for a shift and to read more about specific responsibilities.

Please use street parking and avoid the lot outside our entrance, as it's reserved for food drop-offs and neighboring businesses. Let's be good neighbors together!

If you have any questions about the Cafe, donating food, or volunteering, please reach out to contact@ashevillepovertyinitiative.org

Community Group Hosting

We are thrilled to introduce a new program that transforms our 12 Baskets Café and Garden into a community center after normal operating hours. Whether you're planning a community forum, a town hall meeting, a board game night, a training session, or a book club gathering, our café and garden are the ideal spaces to unite people.

If you're interested in making our café or garden your go-to community space after hours, don't hesitate to reach out to us at contact@ashevillepovertyinitiative.org. Let's build a stronger community together at 12 Baskets Café and Garden!
Collage of four images: top left shows two musicians playing guitar and flute in a cafe; top right shows a smiling baby sitting on the ground next to buckets and pots outdoors; bottom left shows two men holding trays of baked goods indoors; bottom right shows a group of people seated indoors at a cafe event with a '12 Baskets Cafe' sign in the background.
Collage of four photos: Top left shows two women smiling and waving at a table with utensils, in a kitchen setting. Top right features two men in a kitchen, handing each other a can of coffee and a bag of sugar. Bottom left depicts a person writing on a whiteboard with a list of food items, outdoors near a brick wall. Bottom right captures a woman serving food to a seated man outside at a table with salads and plates, in a backyard setting.