Ben's a proud dad to daughters Grace and Keira and initially found API as a teacher bringing school groups on poverty walks. After years in education, Ben's most recent experiences are in community organizing and non-profit management.

When not working, Ben is usually found at home with his two dogs and his amazing wife Hayette (pictured), owner/operator of Back Porch Baking Company.

Ben’s favorite thing to eat is tacos!

ben@ashevillepovertyinitiative.org

Starting as a volunteer in the cafe, Aaron showed his commitment to service and demonstrated an understanding of the values we hold dear. Aaron is always the first to volunteer to help no matter the project and is a positive, calm presence in the café. Aaron is passionate about community building and fostering connections with others.

While Aaron's roots lie deep in Cajun country where he grew up, he has traveled and lived all over including many years in Georgia before landing in Asheville, NC. His pastimes (in his words) include rocking chairs and bonfires. Aaron also holds a passion for playing hockey, going bass fishing, as well as jamming out to country and folk music. When asked what his favorite food is, this good southern boy quickly said, "Rice and gravy!"

Aaron@ashevillepovertyinitiative.org

We are so excited to have Mae as our new Realities of Poverty Education Coordinator and to restart this amazing program. Mae is a dedicated community member with a wide range of talents. She has been volunteering with 12 Baskets for two and a half years, coordinating food pickups and contributing to the relaunch of the social media and marketing campaigns in 2022.

With five years of experience in project management and small business ownership, she is someone who gets things done and is accustomed to making adjustments when necessary. Outside of work, Mae enjoys hiking, gardening, and powerlifting.

mae@ashevillepovertyinitiative.org

Kitchen Mama Donna, our Notorious KMD, can take the heat not only in the kitchen but with high degrees in lab science and nutrition, as well extensive studies in the culinary arts. Donna manages all the food coming in the café and into our bellies!

Donna has lived in Bucks county Pennsylvania and Philadelphia but she chose to settle in Asheville because she loves the mountains and the people.

Her favorite breakfast food depends on what's in season.

Coming most recently from New York City, Shelly was born and raised not far from Asheville in Columbia, South Carolina. In her spare time, Shelly likes to craft and spend time with friends, her husband Ryan and their two cats Harmy and Noor.

Shelly’s primary focus is the coordination of media communications/strategy and on daily administrative needs of API & 12 Baskets Café. She can be found frequenting the café garden to drink coffee and socialize.

Shelly’s favorite thing to eat is cheese in any form (mac and cheese, grilled cheese, string cheese, etc).

shelly@ashevillepovertyinitiative.org

Hill is with us as a community chaplain on Mondays and Tuesdays. Feel free to pull them aside if you need someone to chat with/you want some extra emotional or spiritual support. You can also let Hill know if there is someone you want them to visit in jail or the hospital.

Bio coming soon!

Interns

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Bill is the Executive Director of the non-profit Youth Mission Co and has lived in Asheville for over 20 years.  He loves engaging young people in the community and teaching them about living in ways that support our marginalized neighbors.  He was part of the original board of directors for Asheville Poverty Initiative and he is thrilled to be serving another term as a board member during this exciting time for API!

Kyle is a Certified Management Accountant with over 13 years of experience in financial analysis and strategic financial planning. He brings a strong foundation in accounting principles and a commitment to fiscal stewardship.

Kyle is passionate about fostering inclusive communities and is aligned with Asheville Poverty Initiative’s mission to build community through meaningful dialogue and shared experiences that transcend social and economic divides.  

Outside of his professional endeavors, Kyle enjoys attending local events, hiking the region's scenic trails with his partner and their energetic dog, and playing recreational soccer.

Bio coming soon!

Leslee N. Johnson is a writer and educator living in Western North Carolina, with an academic background in philosophy and creative writing. As a lecturer at UNC Asheville, she teaches humanities, first-year writing and professional writing, taking her classes into the city of Asheville

through community engaged coursework. She co-facilitates the writing collective, Moonlight Cheese Alliance, at Asheville Poverty Initiative's 12 Baskets Cafe in West Asheville, which gives her space to practice her own poetry. Since 2022, she has served as the Director of UNC

Asheville's Prison Education Program, with the opportunity to teach inside, and work with state and county entities, and local reentry organizations to design and support college-credit bearing programs and services that address the needs of students impacted by the justice system and poverty.

Shunyu was born in 1989 in Zhuhai, Guangdong, Southern China.

Before getting her Bachelor’s degree in Ecology, she traveled to Tibet, southwest China and southeast Asia with her film cameras in search of connections between different peoples and their homeland.

She became a regular volunteer at 12 Baskets shortly after she moved to Asheville in 2017. 

The 12 Baskets family helped her through the most challenging time as a foreigner and a new mother.

Shunyu frequents classrooms and panels by inviting people to look at culture and community differently. Sharing tea, writing short poems, and walking with her son bring her immense joy.

Anson is an Asheville native, a long-time volunteer at 12 Baskets, and an autodidact, polymath, and bibliophile.

Originally from the Northeast, Steven worked in the pharmaceutical industry for over 35 years, designing and running clinical trials in psychiatry and neurology.  After retiring in 2015, Steven moved to Asheville, NC with his wife Anne.  He and Anne have served as volunteers at 12 Baskets Cafe since 2016.  When he’s not at the Cafe, Steven enjoys putting his feet up and smoking a cigar.