Your Kindness in Action Newsletter: Jan. 26, 2022

Eblen Charities Newsletter: Jan. 26, 2022

Dear Asheville Community,

Please let me take this opportunity to express, on behalf of Eblen Charities and those we have the opportunity to serve, our thanks for your support in 2021. We are currently wrapping up all the numbers and will report those soon so that you can realize your impact in our community.

We have seen a tremendous increase in needs in our community for the basics- housing, heat, water, and power…all the basics we often take for granted! For 2021 we received more than 800 new requests for assistance from households that had never been in the place to need to ask for help.

With your help, great partnerships, and sponsors we were able to meet these needs as well as provide school supplies, warm winter gear, 800 Thanksgiving meals, and Christmas gifts to 1,350 families.

This is a wonderful, caring community and that is evidenced in your participation and support.

Whether you volunteered, donated, sponsored or hosted an event, walked virtually in the spring, played golf, donated school supplies, coats/gloves/hats, bought a Pumpkin or a BOOster, rode in the Toy Run, collected toys at your business, joined us at the toy drive, worked in our Toy Store or took part in our 30th anniversary fundraiser - please know that without you - the needs of our community would have largely gone unmet. All of this support does not go unnoticed or unappreciated!

It is with a very grateful heart that I thank you and wish you and yours all the best things in 2022.

Susan Riddle

Operations/Interim Director

Walnut Cove Members Association

$20,000 grant recipient Eblen Charities Student Clothing Project

The Walnut Cove Members Association (WCMA) is comprised of a group of Cliffs at Walnut Cove property owners who are interested in supporting local nonprofit charities.

The WCMA is a nonprofit that raises money through member dues, donations, and an annual "Weekend of Giving". At the end of each year, these funds are distributed to a variety of local charitable organizations in which members are actively involved. Their service to the community, along with their generous donations, makes Walnut Cove a valued and respected part of the greater Asheville area. We are grateful for their support and to the many members who choose to serve as volunteers, board, and committee members here at Eblen.

Eblen Charities is the proud recipient of one of these grants of $20,000 designated specifically for our student clothing project. In the last 10 years, Eblen has provided, with the help of the WCMA, 27,840 vouchers to local children for shoes and clothes.

With our area's high cost of living paired with a serviced-based economy, many families in our community have barely enough for the basic necessities they need so when extra expenses arise, they have little if anything to spend. This is especially difficult for families with children, when they outgrow their clothes and shoes, and cannot afford to replace them.

Special thanks to the WCMA for helping the children of our community!

Learn more about the Walnut Cove Members Association here

This Month at Eblen

Ending 2021 on a High Note

After a challenging year of event cancellations and alterations, there was no way to have expected the results we would eventually receive as we made our way into the Pumpkins/BOOsters season. Every day came with a surprise and a miracle as schools from across our community kept requesting more and more pumpkins to the point that we had to start cutting them by hand. With preparations underway for Turkeys, Toys, and our surprise end-year 30th Anniversary - our team morale was given a significant boost seeing the efforts put into our traditional fall fundraiser. When we finally tallied the final numbers in late December we decided to decorate our wall in pumpkins too - frosted pumpkins - to celebrate over 100,000 sold.

To put that number into perspective; if each person who donated $1 were to gather all in one place in support of Eblen Charities - we would fill the largest football stadium in North America. Imagine that!

We can not be more proud of our schools, given all the creative ways they found to fundraise to make this possible at such a crucial time for families struggling in our community. And, we are so thankful for the BOOster businesses along with all who donated to make 2021 a most memorable year for BOOsters & Pumpkins.

Saint Nicholas Project 2021

Goal Achieved!

This year Eblen celebrated 30 years of serving our community and helping those in need.

Together, you helped us raise more than $10,000 to end the year and due to the generosity of a long-time friend, that $10,000 in donations will be matched!

These funds go towards keeping families housed in these cold winter months.

Thank you to all who participated!