COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: Tech-Tuesday with Jensen

Since it's a new year and we are restarting Tech Tuesday today, we thought it would be a good time to reintroduce you to Jensen Gelfond. Jensen is the founder of Asheville Digital Lifestyle and a committed member of the 12 Baskets community with his wife Beth.

About a year ago Jensen and his co-facilitator Jamilah Dixon were looking for a place to have their monthly Community Forum meeting and came across our space which had newly been opened up to community group hosting after hours. After that Jensen realized just how special the space and the people within were. Wanting to get more involved, Jensen began volunteering at the cafe during lunch, serving tables and talking to patrons. He noticed the need for tech help quickly and stepped up suggesting a twice monthly Tech-Tuesday. This soon evolved to him bringing technology assistance to 12 Baskets Cafe every Tuesday during lunch (from 11 am to 1 pm).

A natural at engaging with others in person, Jensen likes to think, people need information, and he is trying to meet that need. He feels he gets to know a wider cross-section of neighbors by coming to the cafe weekly as "the tech guy." Due to his reliable and relaxed presence, he has been able to help a segment of people who are not normally able to get tech help because they don't have the resources or they just get nervous asking for help. When asked about an example of a time he felt he made an impact, Jensen described a time when he was able to help someone get their voting information ensuring they could vote in the upcoming election. It was clear that an impact had been made on him just as much.

In true 12 Baskets style, we HAD to ask Jensen about his favorite food, "what's coming to mind is mom's mac and cheese." Thank you so much to Jensen for all he has and will do for our community. We can't do what we do without people like you.

Help at 12 Baskets Cafe

There are several ways you can help community cafe from food pick ups, to serving, to community outreach. If you are able, we invite you to our orientation for new volunteers every Thursday morning at 10 am in the cafe (610 Haywood Rd. Ste. B).

If you are interested in volunteering with us or learning more check out our website here or send an email our Cafe Manager Aaron at: aaron@ashevillepovertyinitiative.org

Last month 12 Baskets Cafe rescued over 12,000 pounds of food with around 60% off which was fresh produce! This week we are in need food pick-up volunteers. We also have lots of slots open in future weeks as well.

Click here to sign up for a food pick up!

Events!

Check out what’s happening at 12 Baskets Cafe and Garden by checking the EVENTS tab on our website.

If you are interested in volunteering with us or learning more send us an email our Cafe Manager Aaron at: aaron@ashevillepovertyinitiative.org

the intersection: A 12 Baskets Zine

the intersection: A 12 Baskets Zine

Our writing group, Moonlight Cheese Alliance, has now published three zines and they will all be on sale at Thursday’s Community Celebration! All zines are sliding scale price $7-14 and all funds will go back to the writing group’s efforts to publish an anthology.

The group meets every Friday at 1 pm in the 12 Baskets Garden.

@moonlight_cheese_alliance

✨ LIMITED RELEASE T-SHIRT ✨

We are excited to release our 2024 12 Baskets T-shirts designed by local artist Spence Beals as an ode to the resilience of our community!

We will be selling in person at our event at One World Brewing West (520 Haywood Rd) Thursday December 5th from 4-8 pm.

Pre-order open now! $25 to our Venmo or PayPal @ashevillepovertyinitiative with your size (S-XL), pick up at the event or cafe. All proceeds will go back into the 12 Baskets Cafe.

Get it before it's gone!

Westival Update!

We are excited to announce we have a new date for Westival! We will now be hosting our signature yearly event in the Spring of 2025. Please mark your calendar for March 15th from 4-8 pm at Archetype Brewery.

F.AQ.

What is the date/time of the event? NEW Date: March 15, 2025; SAME Time: 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Where will the event be? SAME Location: Archetype Brewery in West Asheville  

What do you need to do to claim my tickets/go to the event? NOTHING! We are hosting the same awesome party just on a different day. If you have a ticket you are good to go! You will get an email closer to the date with details on your ticket.

What if I can’t make the new date? Reply to this email and let us know if you want to donate your ticket to someone affected by the storm or if you want a refund.

Can I still buy a raffle ticket? YES! Same prizes and the same cost of $5, find them here for purchase. Proceeds from Westival raffle tickets will support the continued efforts of API’s mission to build community and promote economic justice.

Asheville Poverty Initiative would like to thank our sponsors, volunteers, and community partners for their continued support in making this event possible.

Thanks,

The Westival Team

API and Racial Equity: Spiral of Transformative Change

Community Workshop

This session will help you practice using a racial equity analysis in your work. You will look at how Asheville Poverty Initiative deals with power, privilege, and oppression, considering your roles as a bystander, interrupter, and colluder.

Facilitated by: Spiral Path Consulting

Wednesday, August 21 from 1-3 PM

Located @ 12 Baskets Cafe - 610B Haywood Rd.

Food and Snacks provided!

Sign up here!

Introducing Westival!

Fundraiser to celebrate West Asheville food and community

A new event showcasing West Asheville food will occur at Archetype Brewing on Saturday, September 28, from 4-8 pm. “Westival” is a fundraiser for 12 Baskets Cafe and the work of Asheville Poverty Initiative (API), and will allow participants to sample from over 10 West Asheville-based food businesses.

“There is so much to celebrate about West Asheville,” said Ben Williamson, Executive Director of API, which operates 12 Baskets Cafe at 610 Haywood Road. “We wanted to design an affordable, casual event that highlighted the many exceptional food businesses we are surrounded by, as well as the amazing sense of community that exists,” Williamson said. Besides access to the food, Westival will include a DJ, information tables, a raffle, and other activities.

“12 Baskets Cafe serves without judgment,” said Tony Franco, Owner and Executive Chef at Food Experience. “Their focus is on the simple task of filling people’s bellies with an extended hand of love. It’s a clear, unambiguous effort to ease suffering, and anything we do to help is appreciated and accepted as well. We love working with 12 Baskets!” said Franco.


A $35 ticket gets you access to the event and unlimited food from local participating chefs. A $55 ticket also includes a t-shirt.

A food experience for the West of Us

Celebrating Local Food & Building Community in West Asheville

A fundraiser for Asheville Poverty Initiative

LOCATION: Archetype Brewery - 265 Haywood Rd

DATE: SATURDAY, September 28, 2024

TIME: 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm

What to expect:

  • Food from WAVL

  • music

  • neighbors

  • fun

  • independent businesses

  • casual

  • inexpensive

  • inclusive

  • small plates

The Return of 4 Cafe Meals a week!

As many remember, 12 Baskets Cafe used to offer sit-down meals five days a week. COVID forced us to pantry days. We have heard from the community a desire for more sit-down days, but we also recognize the benefit of grocery days.

Recently, our friends at Salvation Army opened a food pantry just down the street at 750 Haywood Road. We’ve been working with them to refer our pantry operations there. This could mean community members would have access to both sit-down and pantry days each day of the week!

We will run a trial week of this arrangement from Monday, June 3 to Friday, June 7. 12 Baskets Cafe will be open for sit-down meals on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 11a-1p. We will not do pantry days that week. Salvation Army will be open for pantry access on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9a-2:30p and Friday from 9a-1p.

We will see how things go that week and make a decision on our schedule moving forward. We are excited to build this new partnership!

We are starting New Volunteer Orientation!

ORIENTATION FOR NEW VOLUNTEERS:

Join us on Tuesday mornings at 10:00 am for an orientation with our Executive Director Dr. Ben Williamson. Ben will lead an orientation session specifically designed for those new to volunteering at 12 Baskets Cafe. Learn about our mission, the impact we make, and how you can play a crucial role in serving the community. Following the orientation, new volunteers will have the opportunity to immediately apply their knowledge during a volunteer shift from 10:30 AM - 1:00 PM. This is a hands-on experience to actively contribute to our mission of addressing poverty and fostering a sense of community.

We've also built in time for new volunteers to enjoy lunch with their neighbors. It's not just about serving others but fostering connections within the community. We'll explore how our work at the café directly addresses poverty and builds the foundation for a Beloved Community. You can sign up here for our next orientation.