Today we introduce you to John and Abby.
Abby is an intern from UNCA who helps us daily with volunteer coordination. We are so grateful for everything she does for us.
John is a long time volunteer and spends his days off with us.
We our community!
Thank you!!
We are so thankful for our friends at @arityofficial and @allstate for not only raising money for our organization but also for volunteering with us at the cafe! This group is a true example of commitment to the community.
If your organization would like to get involved in a similar way, send us a message or email us at contact@ashevillepovertyinitiative.org
Free Yoga!
Did you know @blissfullwizard1111 offers mat free community yoga in the 12 Baskets garden every other Friday? No experience needed! It's a beautiful way to start the day! The next session will be April 18th.
Weekly Events
Regular weekly events:
Monday 1:00 pm - Community Open Jam
Tuesday 11:00 am to 1:00 pm - Tech Tues with Jensen
& Reiki with Judith
Wednesday 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm Dinner and music in the garden
Thursday 10:00 am - New Volunteer orientation
Friday 1:00 pm - Creative Writing
Well, someone's gotta do it!
Thank you to our cafe coordinator Aaron for always doing the hard jobs. No matter if it's plunging the toilet, taking lunch orders, or stomping on trash, Aaron does his job with grace and a smile. We appreciate you Aaron!
Celebrating Black History in Asheville
Saturday, February 22 - Black Legacy Awards 2025
Celebrate excellence at the Black Legacy Awards 2025! Honoring leaders, innovators & heroes shaping our community.
Asheville Black Cultural Heritage Trail
Learn how Black people from all backgrounds built resilient communities and fostered social change in Asheville.
The YMICC’s mission is to empower the Black community to celebrate its rich cultural heritage through programs that preserve and promote African American arts and traditions with a commitment to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion.
Hood Huggers International
Rebuilding Affrilachia Through Art, Environment and Social Enterprise
Tours exploring Asheville's past, present, and future through the lens of African American history.
January Cafe Update!
In January of this year …
Around 3,300 total meals were served at 12 Baskets Cafe.
That’s an average of 825 meals a week!
26 out of the 31 days in the month we served hot meals to the community.
Our free store gave out close to 900 bags of groceries.
We rescued around 16,000 pounds of food from restaurants and grocery stores.
In comparison to January of 2024…
We served meals on Monday/Thursday and grocery boxes on Tuesday/Friday for a total of 18 open days in the month.
1000 hot meals were served and 850 boxes of groceries were given out.
A total of 2,000 meals/groceries were given to the community last January. Thats around 400 per week.
We rescued around 10,000 pounds of food from restaurants and grocery stores.
NEW LOGO!
We’re excited to introduce the new logo for Asheville Poverty Initiative. While the 12 Baskets Cafe logo will remain the same; our new organizational logo will represent both programs: Realities of Poverty Education and 12 Baskets Cafe.
With input from our community, volunteers, staff and board we came up with the logo of a sunflower with 12 petals. Symbolic of the Cafe and garden as well as positivity, strength, and hope, this logo represents the many hands and hearts that come together to create our community with a commitment to dignity, connection, and shared abundance.
Updates to the Strategic Plan for 2025-2028
Our board has been working on our 2025-2028 Strategic Plan. Below is the mission, vision, guiding principles, and strategic directions voted on by the board. The FULL strategic plan, with specific goals, outcomes, staff and board assignments, and deadlines, should be released next month!
VISION: A beloved community that celebrates mutuality, abundance, and equity.
MISSION: To build community and educate about the realities of poverty.
Westival Raffle Tickets
Buy your Westival raffle tickets today! Will you be one of the lucky winners? Click on each basket to find out more about what you can win!
**You do not have to be present to win. Tickets $5.00 each. 100% of the money raised will go toward 12 Baskets and the work of creating community and building economic justice.
Community Spotlight: Abby from The WANDER School
We have seen so lucky to have Abby from The WANDER School and The Wandering Wellness Clinic joining us to offer FREE herbal remedies to our community at 12 Baskets Cafe.
“In 2020, The WANDER School became a 501(c)3 registered non-profit organization with the mission to connect underserved communities in need (such as Indigenous, Black, Queer, and Appalachian) to medicinal herbs.
Over the past decade, Abby has learned and taught that much of what we know about herbs and their benefits, here in the US, came directly from Indigenous and Black people. However, overdevelopment and structural inequities in land ownership prevent those same cultures from benefiting from nature’s harvest.”
You can donate to their mission here.
Abby will be back in TWO WEEKS, follow @thewanderschool on social media for more updates.
12 Baskets Cafe needs your help!
In a month 12 Baskets Cafe rescues over 15,000 pounds of food for our community cafe at 610 Haywood Rd. We are in need of food pick-up volunteers for restaurants like Cooper Riis, Mela, Christ School, and Bounty & Soul as well as grocery stores like Whole Foods and Earth Fare.
Link in our stories to sign up to pick up or email us at contact@ashevillepovertyinitiative.org
Introducing BRUNCH!
12 Baskets is open for Brunch!
Join us on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 10 am to 12 pm for weekend brunch. Coffee starts at 9 am, bring your neighbors, games, and appetite.
As always the food is free but we welcome donations of any kind. See you then!
In remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
In remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. we share the following quote, "I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits." Part of his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, this award was given "for his non-violent struggle for civil rights for the Afro-American population." Read/watch the speech here. It is important to have compassion for one another. We are all human beings who deserve love, respect, and safety.
The annual Point-in-Time (PIT) count
The annual Point-in-Time (PIT) count happens across the country during the last 10 days of January each year and the data collected is considered a one-night “snapshot” of homelessness. This data, while an incomplete picture, can serve as a valuable tool to hear from community members experiencing a housing crisis and helps direct federal funding, inform local strategy, and identify resources that are missing within the homeless service system. This year’s count will take place during the evening of Tuesday, January 28 and the day of Wednesday, January 29, 2025.
Code Purple
Code Purple is a coordinated effort among Asheville and Buncombe County shelters and other organizations to provide emergency overflow shelter to people experiencing homelessness during extremely cold weather (at or below 32 degrees, including wind chill, or 33-40 degrees with precipitation)….Read more here! Sign up for Code Purple emails by emailing bcnc.homeless.coalition@gmail.com
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.
From Brokenness to Belonging: Dr. Ben Williamson and the Community Cure for Poverty
On a cold, grey afternoon, I found myself in the welcoming warmth of 12 Baskets Café. I had spent half the day sipping coffee, meeting community members, and taking photos*. As the lunch service wrapped up and volunteers packed away the remaining food, a couple rushed into the café, visibly distressed… Read the article by Brody Hartman here.
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.
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
