Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

Ashe Really Cares Seeks Help With Rent

Story by Celeste von Mangan

For the past nine years, Ashe Really Cares, a mission outreach of Ashe County churches, has supplied the county’s residents in need with food and clothing. Last year, the organization distributed more than 100,000 pounds of food and provided clothing to 3,000 families. In addition, the organization was sometimes able to help pay utility bills and to help with fuel assistance in the winter months. Now, Ashe Really Cares is asking for a little help from the High Country communities. A monthly increase in the organization’s rent at Family Central in Jefferson has prompted a need to either move or to find donations to cover the rent.

“If we could take the $10,000 it costs each year to rent the space and use it for our clients, we could help more people,” said Pat Miller, director of Ashe Really Cares. “We love where we are at Family Central, but if someone could donate a building and use the donation as a tax write-off, or people could pool in money to help with the cost of rent, we could manage.”

Although the organization does not want to move from the current location, Miller said, moving might be an option if someone offered a building with lower rent—or no rent.

“We really pay a small amount for what we get here,” she said, “but the economy in general is a problem. Food donations from grocery stores have been down and with layoffs and everything, our need has grown. Second Harvest Food in Winston-Salem that helps stock our shelves has had decreased food supplies, and because of gas price increases and the economy, when families come in, they do not get as a good a choice as they did in the past. We serve 250 people every month, and over 100 new families have come on board since the first of the year. Besides the food, we have a clothes pantry too, and the one thing that is putting us in a spot is that our rent has gone up.”

Ashe Really Cares’ 1,700 square foot space now costs $901 per month after a $143 per month increase on July 1. The organization’s 2007 operating budget was less than $43,000.

Ashe Really Cares employs two part-time people, and 42 volunteers assist at various times of the year. In 2007, the organization served 2,404 families.

“That’s actually 6,636 individuals that we touched,” said Miller. “We are more of an emergency-type organization. We help a lot of elderly that come in and we have a lot of single moms with children that come in. We have helped children get school supplies and at Christmas time, we help with people who fall through the cracks.”

For more information or to donate a building or space, call David Blackburn at 336-246-5631. Send donations to Ashe Really Cares, P.O. Box 850, Jefferson, NC 28640. Monday through Friday, drop off food donations between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. and drop off clothing donations between 9:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.