When our staff received a call from the Governor's team, looking for a holiday volunteer opportunity in the Asheville area, Audrey Blackburn, United Way's Volunteer Manager knew exactly what to do. She opened up our volunteer website, handsonasheville.org, and searched the public database to find an opportunity that might fit the Governor's schedule and interests. She found the perfect match: plating food with Equal Plates Project.

Check out the full story of his visit on WLOS

Equal Plates Project an Important Community Partner

Our staff members are very familiar with the team at the Equal Plates Project. Not only do we help direct volunteers toward their program, we also contract with them to have them provide meals for some of our weekly Community Nights at area schools. If you're not familiar with Community Nights, these are free weekly events that take place a 7 area schools. These events are open to families of K-12 students and provide a healthy meal for the whole family, academic support and opportunities to build community and connect to area programs. 

Check out the Community Nights schedule and find one near you

And find great volunteer opportunities with great projects like this

Governor Highlights Groundbreaking WNC Health Initiative

During his visit, Governor Cooper highlighted an important and groundbreaking initiative that was rolled out in early March, right here in WNC. The pilot aims to use Medicaid dollars to provide greater support for preventative measures - like proper nutrition and environmental factors like mold removal. This pilot is the first in the nation and is a great example of addressing the "social determinants of health" by using existing public resources for preventative care. 

WLOS story about this innovative state health initiative

WNC HOP Overview (English) from Impact Health on Vimeo.