The weather in Buncombe County has been incredibly cold and back to back weekends of ice and snow create even more dangerous conditions for our neighbors with inadequate shelter and access to food.
In need of shelter?
If you’re in need of shelter, Buncombe County has several Winter Shelter options. When a “Code Purple” is called due to extremely cold temperatures – there are fewer requirements and more locations available. Check the Buncombe County and Asheville City websites here to go directly to guidance on resources available for shelter and transit.
@rundainwnc Hope you’re safe and warm! 🩷 #asheville #ashevillenc #buncombecounty #828isgreat #westernnorthcarolina ♬ original sound – Runda in WNC
Looking for ways to help?
Volunteer – Volunteers are needed for a variety of roles including in-person at shelters, sorting supplies, cooking, clean up, etc. You can find a list of ways to volunteer here.
Donate – Shelters accept donations, please check for information on what is needed and drop off times. It’s important to not make it harder on volunteers.
Safe Shelter in Asheville is currently calling for donations and has a very clear list of what they need (can be purchased and dropped off or ordered via their Amazon wishlist). A few days ago I did a Go Grocery run for my family and also picked up a bunch of items for the shelter and dropped them off. I made a simple Facebook/Instagram post inviting any of my friends to Venmo me by 12 PM and I’d add to the donation when I was at the store. This is a simple way to make your donation go further – some folks have money, but not the time to shop/drop off!
Asheville Survival, a “interdependent web of working groups, growing together by practicing mutual aid” is also collection donations at Second Gear in Asheville (see below).
In addition to Safe Shelter and Asheville Survival, check out Beloved Asheville, The Blessing Project and Swannanoa Communities Together for additional community resources like food, propane, etc. The latter two serve the Swannanoa Valley specifically.
If you know of other ways folks can help – ways to donate, accounts to follow, etc. please leave a comment below and I’ll update this post!
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