There’s a lot to love about the holiday season, but not much gets us more amped than Giving Tuesday, a global initiative launched in 2012 to promote generosity + encourage folks to do good. Arguably the biggest giving day of the year across the globe, it takes place the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and is an opportunity for people to make donations to their favorite charities, non-profits, and philanthropic organizations.

Last month, we invited you, our dear readers, to help bring awareness to the local orgs that help keep our communities connected + running, and we told y’all we’d choose one lucky organization at random to receive a $1,000 donation from 6AM City and a special shout-out in the newsletter.

We received so many thoughtful nominations, and today we’re delighted to highlight the winning organization, Meals on Wheels of Asheville & Buncombe County. To ensure everyone knows who they are, what they do, and why their work is so important to the folks in Asheville, we’re sharing a brief Q + A sesh with them. Read on and enjoy some good old-fashioned educational warm fuzzies (’tis the season, after all).

What is the purpose of your organization?

At Meals on Wheels of Asheville & Buncombe County, we provide hot, nutritious meals to homebound seniors in need. Along with the meal, our volunteers make a friendly visit to assure the senior is safe and well. Homebound is defined as limited to no driving and the inability to stand for periods of time to grocery shop or prepare meals. Being homebound has the potential to increase hunger and isolation, ultimately jeopardizing independence. We serve as a safety net for this vulnerable population focused on reducing hunger, improving nutrition, alleviating isolation + prolonging independence.

How do you go about making that happen?

Each weekday meals are prepared and packed at our 146 Victoria Rd. location, which houses a full-service commercial kitchen. Meals are loaded and transported by two Meals on Wheels vans to 13 satellite locations across the county where volunteers pick up the meals and route sheets and then set off to deliver. We operate 40 meal delivery routes throughout 660 square miles of Buncombe County, serving approximately 480 homebound seniors. Volunteers literally drive our organization and are the ones who deliver meals to our seniors and also check in on them to make sure they are safe and well.

How has the pandemic affected your work?

Just like the rest of the world, we had to quickly adapt how we operate. We implemented a no contact meal delivery protocol to keep both the volunteer and the senior receiving the meal safe. We have also seen an increase in the need for meals. We’ve added two new meal delivery routes and at least 100 new seniors to our program since March. We anticipate another surge in need with the winter months and the still-lingering pandemic.

What have you done this year that you’re most proud of?

I am so proud of our team. Our team includes a very small staff, an amazing group of volunteers + a very generous community. Because of their commitment to this program, we were able to quickly adapt to how we serve our seniors because of COVID and did so without missing a day of meal delivery!

Can you briefly share a story of how your work has helped the community you serve?

Our meals and visits bring peace of mind to the seniors we serve and the families that love them. Just as the pandemic hit, we received a call about a 70-year-old woman who had just lost her husband to a heart attack. Her only relative had to shelter in place because of her own health condition. The woman had no car and no food for herself or her pets. Meals on Wheels has delivered meals to her and her pets every week since March. At a recent delivery, she shared with us, “Because of your help, I have some hope.”

What is the greatest challenge to your organization and its work?

There are many. Never enough volunteers, funding, or time in the day! But, we are incredibly fortunate to live in such a generous community and we don’t take this for granted. This year in particular we have had an outpouring of support both in the form of volunteers and donations. We could not do the work we do without both. However, we are still at least 10 volunteers short each week. When we don’t have volunteers, staff pitch in to help deliver meals, then end up working late to catch up.

What is one thing you wish people knew or understood about the work you do?

I wish more people knew of the complexities our seniors face with hunger and isolation and how easy it is for them to help. Nourishment, companionship + independence are the staples of our organization and it still amazes me to see what an impact a friendly visit and a hot meal can do. Volunteers have the ability to touch the lives of up to 16 seniors (the most number of seniors on any of our meal delivery routes) by delivering a lunch time meal! This results in the ability for these seniors to remain independent and living at home where they want to be!