Happy Fall from all of us at Asheville Poverty Initiative!
We hope you’re enjoying the welcome change of seasons, the cooler temperatures, the vibrant colors, and the comfort and power of community, wherever you may be. We have much to be grateful for at API, thanks to everyone who has and continues to support us. As for all the many challenges and difficulties that have come our way this year, we are still here, still strong, and still offering a space of community, abundance, and inclusion, and educational opportunities that center on story-sharing and our neighbors with lived experiences.
Now in our ninth year, much work remains in our mission to bring people together in community and educate about the realities of poverty. We are so grateful for our space, our incredible garden, and our place in the heart of West Asheville. We are so thankful to our many food partners, who allow us the opportunity to come together and share in the reality of abundance each day. Mostly, we’re grateful to our many volunteers who make it happen, from those who show up consistently each day to those who stand up and help out where they can on busy days at the cafe.
Our Realities of Poverty education program is back in rhythm with the new school year, and we have restarted our now-yearly relationships with classes from Warren Wilson, UNCA, and Francine Delany New School. The program is becoming more active with advocacy, recently speaking at a City Council meeting to propose alternatives to expanding the city’s anti-panhandling ordinance, designed to address the root causes of poverty.
12 Baskets Cafe is as vibrant and active as ever. Community continues to center around our meals and free store, but we also host weekly music and writing groups, and the space remains a meeting space for groups and events during weeknight and weekend hours. Our writing group, the Moonlight Cheese Alliance, is in the final stages of producing the first issue of The Intersection. This street newspaper can allow our friends to earn money and grow their own business vending on street corners instead of panhandling.
Looking ahead, we are excited about our upcoming Thanksgiving celebration at the Cafe. We hope you’ll join us. Our end-of-year fundraising effort, Give Local, is also on the horizon. With so much political and economic uncertainty, times are hard for non-profits. Through COVID and Helene, we have proven to be incredibly resilient and strong, supported by so many through time and money donated to our work.
Your donations allow us to continue serving as an example of the power of community each day. We hope you’ll continue to support our mission and grab a seat for a meal or a poverty walk when you can.
For more information on hours of operation, volunteer opportunities, and how to donate, please visit out website at www.ashevillepovertyinitiative.org.
