November 2022

We're thrilled to be part of the 2022 Give!Local Campaign this year with ALL funds raised going completely to local charities - just like us! Anyone who donates $20 or more will receive goodies from local businesses.

A big thank you to Blue Mountain Pizza in Weaverville for covering all of the credit card fees for this entire program.

Kindness in Action

Winter weather is here, and the holidays are upon us! There's a lot to love about this season.

But for many of our neighbors, this is a highly stressful time of year. They worry about being able to afford a tank of oil or a holiday meal – and in many cases, they can’t afford either.

We looked at the 1^st quarter of 2021 requests for assistance through the CIP program versus the 1^st quarter of 2022 – and saw a 365% increase in requests this year over last!

Eblen Charities will be helping with housing, utilities and other essential needs –as well those things that make life just a bit brighter. That includes Thanksgiving meals and holiday gifts for kids and teens, supported by the upcoming Ingles Markets Magical Christmas Toy Drive and a host of local businesses collecting toys to stock our store!

Today is Giving Tuesday, and we'd be honored if you'd support our work by making a donation. Read on to learn more .

We gave away 800 Thanksgiving meals to local neighbors with our partners Ingles Markets! We're grateful to them and partners Allen-Tate/Beverly-Hanks & Associates, iHeartRadio, Duke Energy, Pratt & Whitney, Wells Fargo Advisors and a great number of the Eblen Charities Board and volunteers.

Eblen Charities Events

What to get the person who has everything?

How about the gift that makes a difference locally?

Our alternative giving program gives a way to honor and celebrate people in your life during the holiday season by giving back to others. For a minimum gift of $10 per card, you can honor a loved one while helping provide for the basic needs of our neighbors. We can mail these beautiful cards for you, or get them to you so you can add a personal message.

The art on this card was created by local artist Ann Vasilik! Ann is a talented watercolorist, using color and contrast to create beautiful land and cityscapes and graciously allowed us to use this art to support our community.

To learn more, click here or email Kathy.

Giving Tuesday, Give!Local and other ways to keep your funds in your community.

Would you like to help Eblen Charities do its life-changing work? We have many ways that you can use your treasure to help your local neighbors.

This year the Mountain Xpress is hosting its annual Give!Local campaign and for the first time Eblen Charities is part of it. It's a great way to make a big difference where you live, to encourage giving no matter how small or large the gift - and donors are rewarded with lots of goodies!

Mission Health is matching gifts through this campaign up to $5,500 - please help us reach that match!

Giving Tuesday is a national day of charitable giving that occurs the Tuesday after Thanksgiving each year. It's intended to rally community's to give back to the causes they care about.

If you want to support our work in a different way, may we suggest our Target and Amazon wish-lists? You can shop and send items directly to our offices from the comfort of your couch!

The St. Nicholas Toy Store will open on December 12. You can sign up to shop for gifts for your children through this link. The Ingles Markets Magical Christmas Toy Drive is December 1, 2, and 3 at the Ingles at 153 Smokey Park Highway, where we'll collect new, unwrapped toys, books, gift cards and winter clothing to stock the store with. You can support this project by bringing new, unwrapped toys and books to the Toy Drive or our office; sending a gift through Amazon or Target, making a financial gift on our website or by texting "TOYS" to 345345. We're glad to help kids in our community have a bright holiday season. Thank you Ingles Markets and media partners iHeartmedia Asheville and WLOS News 13 for helping us promote this event!

Our staff celebrates Thanksgiving!

We had the pleasure of celebrating together the week before Thanksgiving with a potluck lunch. A few staff got up to help clients or volunteers and are not pictured here. Our small staff serves thousands of people in crisis every year!

Meet Susan Riddle

In many ways, Susan needs no introduction! She is Eblen Charities longest serving employee (now in her 21^st year!) and has held many positions at our organization. Susan shared a bit of what she does, "I’m the Operations Director for Eblen. I oversee all our programs to provide financial assistance to our community members – supervising the staff, managing the contracts for public dollars, and making sure our programs run well.”

Susan shared that she has been committed to Eblen because “I love coming up with solutions for folks. I also love doing something that is beneficial for the community, it is very gratifying and rewarding to know I’m helping people.”

A day at work for Susan never looks the same. Some days she’s answering the phone or door to help a client. Others she’s navigating the details of complex contracts with public entities. Her calm and kind demeanor helps whether she’s dealing with someone’s personal crisis or the complex problems that poverty can create.

Susan, when not working enjoys spring and summer by gardening, and follows college football, specifically App State in the fall.

Thank you Susan for your service to Eblen Charities and the people in our community needing help!