We've been reflect on the work we did in 2022 and are happy to share that we helped 3,016 families in our community this year. Of course, we know the numbers only tell part of the story, but they do give insight into how we use funds, spend our time and the impact on our community. Some of our clients were helped with a single instance of service - but others came to us multiple times with a variety of needs.
In 2022
· We provided shoes and clothing for 630 local school kids.
· We prevented eviction by paying overdue mortgages and rents for 431 households.
· More than 900 children had a new backpack and school supplies to start the school year with.
· 181 people received gasoline to get to medical appointments and job interviews.
· 800 families got a full Thanksgiving meal to share.
· Our St. Nicholas Toy Store served over 1,200 families and provided holiday gifts for nearly 3,000 local kids.
· We helped 98 households with medical expenses, from prescriptions to eyeglasses.
We helped 2,807 families with electric bills: and another 872 households with heat. Lastly, we ensured another 488 homes had running water. Some of the funding for these services is provided through our partnership with Buncombe County Health & Human Services, and the additional help was provided by the generosity of our community!
The numbers give part of the picture of our work. They don't show the relief we heard in one client's voice when we told him that we could pay for the co-pay for his eye surgery. They don't show the whispered "God Bless You"s that we heard from parents leaving our St. Nicholas Toy Store or our school supply giveaway. The numbers don't show the pride on the face of a student who has just picked out her "dream dress" for the prom at our Prom Dress Express. It is a joy to be part of this work, and we are happy to be part of the solution to our neighbor’s problems.
Eblen Charities is grateful to have partnered with many wonderful people, companies, faith community and agencies to make this work possible.
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