🎨•Sketchbook Club Asheville•🎨📖
Spencer Beals hosts a sketchbook club in Asheville for anyone who wants to build creative community! It is a great opportunity for people who want to develop their creativity and be around other creative people! All levels and ages are welcome, it’s every 1st and 3rd Monday of the month. Its $10 for a class and you should bring a sketchbook and art supplies! He looks forward to sharing inspirational artists, collaborating on drawings, and intentionally creating creative community space

Welcome to Art Circles! 🎨✨

We invite everyone—whether you’re an artist, a creative spirit, or simply curious—to join us for a morning of connection and creativity. Art Circles is about rediscovering the joy of creating without judgment, exploring your unique expression, and sharing a supportive space with others. No experience is needed—just bring an open heart and creativity!

When: Sunday 2 PM- 4:00 PM...Sundays bi- weekly on-going... Registration is required in advance to ensure materials are available as well as your place setting. Please allow adequate time to find parking and settle into the space. Doors will open a few minutes before the event.

SIGN UP HERE

On Wednesday, Feb. 5, 7 – 8 p.m. (ET), the North Carolina Budget & Tax Center, in partnership with North Carolina Inclusive Disaster Recovery and MDC, Inc., is hosting a telephone townhall event for Western North Carolinians affected by Hurricane Helene to share their stories, voice their needs, and make their priorities clear. We have invited state lawmakers and tens of thousands of Western North Carolinians in disaster-declared counties.

To register for the event, please fill out the contact form by following the link below and you will receive a follow-up email with further information: http://www.NCBudget.org/WNCtownhall

🎨•Sketchbook Club Asheville•🎨📖
Spencer Beals hosts a sketchbook club in Asheville for anyone who wants to build creative community! It is a great opportunity for people who want to develop their creativity and be around other creative people! All levels and ages are welcome, it’s every 1st and 3rd Monday of the month. Its $10 for a class and you should bring a sketchbook and art supplies! He looks forward to sharing inspirational artists, collaborating on drawings, and intentionally creating creative community space

Join 12 Baskets Cafe and Habibi Village for yummy fresh meal Wednesday Jan. 22 from 5-6 pm. We will be serving food cooked by local restaurant Habibi Village for our first Wednesday Night Dinner.

We will serve food until it is all gone for free or by donation. There will be veggie and vegan options as well. All are invited!

If your restaurant or business is interested in donating food for our Wednesday Night Dinner reach out to us at Contact@ashevillepovertyinitiative.org

🎨•Sketchbook Club Asheville•🎨📖
Spencer Beals hosts a sketchbook club in Asheville for anyone who wants to build creative community! It is a great opportunity for people who want to develop their creativity and be around other creative people! All levels and ages are welcome, it’s every 1st and 3rd Monday of the month. Its $10 for a class and you should bring a sketchbook and art supplies! He looks forward to sharing inspirational artists, collaborating on drawings, and intentionally creating creative community space

We will be having our first Community Forum event of the new year this Thursday, January 16 at 6pm at 12 Baskets. Please come with your curiosity, news for neighbors, and heart for taking collective action.

Also, an issue we have been following, the Business Improvement District, will be up for a vote at tomorrow’s City Council meeting (5pm Tuesday, January 14 at city hall). They will be voting on which organization will be administering the BID. You can see some background at: https://mountainx.com/news/who-will-run-the-bid-city-council-to-hold-public-hearing-jan-14/ and  https://www.sunshinelabs.org/lift-the-lid-off-the-bid/ . 

We will be open and serving lunch NYE

Join us for writing, reading, and community!

every friday at 1:00 pm

we meet in the 12 baskets cafe garden weather permitting.

Join us on Thursday mornings at 10:00 am for an orientation specifically designed for those new to volunteering at 12 Baskets Café. Learn about our mission, the impact we make, and how you can play a crucial role in serving the community.

You can sign up here for our next orientation.

We will be open and serving lunch Tuesday December 24th!

Bring your instruments, your voice, or your light and join us for a beautiful time of music on Mondays at 1 pm in the 12 Baskets Garden. All are welcome to participate and past music experience is not required.

Join us for writing, reading, and community!

every friday at 1:00 pm

we meet in the 12 baskets cafe garden weather permitting.

Join us on Thursday mornings at 10:00 am for an orientation specifically designed for those new to volunteering at 12 Baskets Café. Learn about our mission, the impact we make, and how you can play a crucial role in serving the community.

You can sign up here for our next orientation.

Join 12 Baskets Cafe for a Community Celebration at One World West!

Celebrating the resilience of our community, featuring contributions from our local art, music, and writing groups!

Date: 12/5/2024

Time: 5-8 pm

Enjoy FREE food from local food trucks.

12 Baskets Cafe is a program of Asheville Poverty Initiative. The event is open to all community members, and we welcome everyone to join in the celebration and free food.

sign up here

Now open to individuals. Reserve today!!

Learn by doing. Challenge your stereotypes.

We invite you to learn more about the realities of poverty in Asheville, directly from educators with lived experience navigating the challenges of poverty in our city. The walks consist of a 1-mile lap of downtown, with stops at examples of systemic obstacles and supports to those working to elevate out of poverty.

Final Saturday each month - 10:30a-12:30p

$25/person (suggested donation. All are welcome!)

The café will be open and serving a Thanksgiving meal during our normal Thursday hours from 11 am to 1 pm. As always the garden will be open at 10 am for coffee and community.

Join us for a FREE 4-mile run and turkey carry! Participants will run with a frozen turkey from Pisgah Fitness to 12 Baskets Cafe, where the turkeys will be donated for Thanksgiving.

Runners are encouraged to donate a 12-15lb frozen turkey that they will carry along with them during the run.

Please Note: The run begins at 6:30 PM sharp. Please arrive at Pisgah Fitness by 6:15.

Walk-ups are welcome to join!

Date and time: Tuesday, November 19 · 6 - 8pm EST

Location: Pisgah Fitness - 151 West Haywood Street Asheville, NC 28801

Please join us on Thursday, Oct 31st at 2:00 p.m. for a community grief circle. Whether you are struggling to cope with the incredible loss of this moment or you are having trouble moving through the numbness that often accompanies this level of catastrophe, we want to sit with you.

We are partnering with the Daoist Traditions College of Chinese Medical Arts for acupuncture at 12 baskets cafe. we will see as many people as we can from 1-230pm

We plan to have community meetings every first Thursday after lunch service for all to attend! We will have a community check-in, give updates, and allow everyone to voice opinions.

108 Sun Salutations Ritual for the Autumn Equinox:

Fundraiser Class for Asheville Poverty Initiative

Purchase tickets here!

Join us on September 21st, 2024, from 12-2 pm for a special fundraiser event in support of the Asheville Poverty Initiative: a yoga class featuring the traditional practice of 108 Sun Salutations. This session will take place on the autumn equinox, a time of balance and reflection, and will be offered both in person and virtually.

In yoga philosophy, the number 108 holds deep significance. It is considered a sacred number representing the universe’s wholeness, with 108 being the number of sacred sites in India, the number of Upanishads, and the number of beads on a mala, among many other associations. Practicing 108 Sun Salutations is a powerful way to connect with this sense of completeness and unity.

During this two-hour session, we will move through 108 Sun Salutations, a sequence designed to honor the cycles of nature, foster physical and mental endurance, and create a profound sense of connection and purpose. Whether you join us in person or virtually, this practice will provide an opportunity to come together as a community, support a vital cause, and embrace the equinox’s energy of renewal and balance.  WAY teachers will rotate as guides in the salutations.

All proceeds from this event will go directly to the Asheville Poverty Initiative, helping to support their mission of addressing and alleviating poverty in our community. Come prepared to flow, sweat, and make a meaningful impact. Let’s unite in movement and intention to create positive change!

Saturday 9/21 - Blue Ridge Pride Festival Downtown

**from 11:00am – 6:00pm we will be in Pack Square talking about 12 Baskets and selling fun things.

Sign Up HERE!

Join Asheville Drag Brunch for a community give-back free drag show at New Belgium Brewing in Asheville, NC. Show time is 1:00 p.m, and food and beverages will be available for purchase on-site. Tickets are FREE but required, available at www.AshevilleDragBrunch.com, and all proceeds will benefit a local nonprofit organization. Suggested donation $5-$10.

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/beardedladyproductions/1090924

Asheville Drag Brunch cranks up the decibels with "Frock of Ages," a classic rock drag show that promises to deliver a power-packed punch of rock, rebellion, and dazzling drama that will leave you shouting for an encore! This dynamic lineup of drag performers is ready to unleash a spectacle of sparkle, sass, and rock 'n' roll spirit. So mark your calendars, grab your leather jacket, and get ready to rock it like never before. We will, we will rock you!

We plan to have community meetings every first Thursday after lunch service for all to attend! We will have a community check-in, give updates, and allow everyone to voice opinions.

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!

Do you have a green thumb? Are you excited about getting your hands dirty? 12 Baskets Community Garden is forming a "Garden Team" to handle decisions, planning, and working in the garden.

Join us:

Thursday Aug 8th

1pm at 12 Baskets Garden