ASHEVILLE – Many Asheville and greater Western North Carolina restaurants indefinitely closed after Tropical Storm Helene barreled through the area on Sept. 27, disrupting services, including electricity and water.
WNC residents and businesses, national and international relief organizations, and other volunteers and groups rose to the occasion, collecting food, water and other supplies and preparing hot meals for those in need.
Local restaurants, bars, food trucks, and relief partners have served countless individuals across WNC and continue to offer free meals during the long recovery stage. Three organizations shared their distribution reports to illustrate the charitable works and community outreach performed amid Helene.
Equal Plates Project
In 2020, the Equal Plates Project, an Asheville-based nonprofit, was founded to address food insecurity while supporting local farmers by purchasing ingredients for scratch-made meals.
Equal Plates Project regularly works with local community partners like the YWCA, the United Way and Homeward Bound to provide meals to individuals involved in their programs.
Madi Holtzman, Equal Plates Project’s director, said those programs were suspended due to the storm, allowing the food insecurity organization to quickly pivot in the aftermath of Helene to increase meal preparation and distribute directly to impacted communities across the region.
On Sept. 29, the team packaged meals and delivered them to the Poder Emma mobile home community, supporting Latinx families.
“We are working with leadership of the Housing Authority and community partners to prioritize most of our meals for the foreseeable future going to the various public housing residences and families living there,” Holtzman said.
She said, before the storm, the Equal Plates Project served about 1,000 meals a week, since then it has increased production to nearly 1,000 per day.
As of Oct. 21, the Equal Plates Project had distributed 13,295 meals, prepared between the organization’s two commissary kitchens downtown with cooking operations led by Chef Chad Holmes.
The nonprofit spent more than $15,000 supporting 12 local small farms in Western North Carolina.
More than 200 volunteers lent a hand in Equal Plates Project’s kitchens and with meal delivery.
Equal Plates Project’s meal distribution partners are:
- Asheville’s Public Housing Communities: Altamont, Edington Center, Aston Towers and Vanderbilt.
- Senior residences: East End Valley, Asheville Terrace and Arrowhead.
- Poder Emma: Supporting Latinx families in mobile home communities.
- Medicaid Clients: Through the Healthy Opportunity Pilot program.
- Homeward Bound’s Compass Point Village.
- The Safe Shelter: Offering nutritious support to residents in need.
- Helpmate: Providing safety, shelter, and support for victims/survivors of intimate partner violence.
Holtzman said some partner farms sustained damage but were not destroyed.
“The reality is it’s going to be a lot of labor and time for them to fully rebuild whether their fields were flooded or greenhouses were destroyed,” she said. “The farm support part of our model is more important and relevant than ever right now because my concern with our farm suppliers is the viability of their businesses.”
Holtzman said the organization intends to increase meal production, so the quantity purchased from farms is greater, especially as restaurant clients have been closed for weeks following the storm.
To donate and for more details, visit equalplatesproject.org and follow equalplatesproject and @equalplatesproject on Instagram.
Mercy Chefs
Mercy Chefs, a national nonprofit disaster and humanitarian relief organization, will continue serving free hot meals to community members across Western North Carolina.
Since Oct. 1, Mercy Chefs has distributed more than 204,000 meals to Helene-impacted communities ― more than 160,000 meals in the Asheville area.
As of Oct. 22, Mercy Chefs’ distribution sites are:
- Redeemer Anglican Church, 531 Haywood Road, Asheville. Dinner at 5 p.m.
- First Baptist Church, 5 Oak St., Asheville. Lunch at Noon. Dinner at 5 p.m.
- Bolen’s Creek Baptist Church, 1911 Heavenly Way, Burnsville. Lunch at Noon.
- Marshall Community Housing Coalition, 798 Walnut Creek Road, Marshall. Lunch at 12:30 p.m. Dinner at 5:30 p.m.
- The Rock Church, 273 Monte Vista Drive, Candler. Dinner at 5 p.m.
The locations are subject to change and additional sites may be added due to volunteer participation and community needs.
The First Baptist Church where Mercy Chefs is stationed and prepares meals will be in constant operation.
In 2006, Mercy Chefs founders Chef Gary and Ann LeBlanc launched the relief organization after Hurricane Katrina devastated Gary LeBlanc’s hometown, New Orleans.
Check Mercy Chefs’ social media platforms for daily updates, facebook.com/@MercyChefs and @mercychefs/ on Instagram.
World Central Kitchen
World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit food relief organization founded by Chef José Andrés in 2010, deploys chefs and other volunteers globally to provide food in the wake of earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, armed conflicts and other distressing events.
WCK spokesperson Linda Roth said in an email on Oct. 22 that as of Oct. 21, WCK had served nearly 492,000 meals to Helene-impacted communities across North Carolina and Tennessee.
WCK has partnered with 33 restaurants, including Cúrate, Chai Pani Restaurant Group and Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ.
WCK is distributing free meals at Ben’s Tune-Up, 195 Hilliard Ave. downtown after weeks of handing out plates from Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ, which continues to serve as a prep kitchen.
Bear’s smokers are used for overnight protein smoking and to prepare meals using large paella pans to cook fresh, never-frozen proteins.
Roth said since Asheville restaurants and businesses are beginning to reopen following the storm, the organization is choosing distribution sites that won’t disrupt sales or the local economy. Factors considered include the community’s ability to cook for themselves using items like stoves, grills and running water, and access to restaurants and/or grocery stores.
WCK predicts ongoing support will be needed in Swannanoa, Hendersonville, Burnsville, Marshall and Yancey County.
The weekly menu is:
- Sunday. Brunswick stew with rolls.
- Monday. Beef stir fry with rice.
- Tuesday. Beef tips with mac and cheese.
- Wednesday. Beef chili with cornbread.
- Thursday. Chicken thighs with greens.
- Friday. Pork loin with baked beans.
- Saturday. White chili with cornbread.
This week, WCK will begin offering 700 vegetarian meals per day prepared on-site, previously prepared by a restaurant partner. Menus consider cultures and religions, including special lamb meals for Muslim communities who don’t consume pork.
WCK has completed its water distribution services, depleting 10 tanker trucks with a maximum volume of 6,200 gallons. WCK reported delivering 120 totes (275 gallons), nine tanks (1,150 gallons) and four tanks (2,500 gallons) to sites, resupplying them regularly to maintain water availability.
For more, visit wck.org and facebook.com/WorldCentralKitchen and @wckitchen.
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Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. She is a graduate of Michigan State University and covered the arts, entertainment and hospitality in Louisiana for several years. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage.
