Thanksgiving Turkey distribution
Where: LFR Pantry
When: Nov. 21; 11 a.m.–
2 p.m.Christmas Cookie Party
Where: Kenilworth Center, Chiles Ave, Asheville
When: Dec. 18; 6–8 pmChristmas Turkey distribution
Where: LFR Pantry
When: Dec. 19; 11 a.m.–
2 p.m. |
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| We will be featuring local business partners that support Loving Food Resources. Let’s support businesses that share our values. Let’s put our money where our heart is…Loving Food Resources and the many wonderful partnerships that sustain us. |
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| LFR was pleased to be a participant in the Give! Local Launch Party, Nov 1. The event was organized by Mountain Express and was held at the Orange Peel in Asheville.
LFR is one of thirty nonprofit organizations to be selected by Mountain Xpress for the first ever Give!Local campaign in Asheville.
Give!Local provides a convenient way to donate to LFR while taking advantage of incentive packages provided by our local businesses. The campaign ends at midnight on December 31.
Help us to spread the word by sharing the link: https://givelocalguide.org/ with your friends! |
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 As the holidays approach, Loving Food Resources looks forward to distributing turkey breasts to our clients for both the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. We are so thankful for each and every one of our volunteers. We hope to grow even more next year and provide even more nourishing food to our clients.
“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” —Mother Teresa |
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| Thoughts from an LFR Shopper |
I have been going to Loving Food Resources for about five months now. My daughter has been signed up for three years. I immediately liked the place. The atmosphere was so light and cheerful. The volunteers are extremely pleasant and helpful. I have to bring my granddaughter with me and the clients and staff are so good and patient with her. There is never a long wait and the place is set up like a grocery store. You get what you like. The Volunteers tell you how many.  My granddaughter thinks she is in a real grocery store and I don’t tell her any different. I cannot say enough great things about Loving Food Resources. I would like to thank them for being so pleasant and helpful and for being there for us. —A very grateful LFR shopper |
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| Loving Food Resources provides basic needs to people living with HIV/AIDS or in Home Hospice with any condition through food, health and personal care items. LFR is a 100% volunteer non-profit dependent entirely on its fundraisers, small grants, and the assistance offered by good friends, local businesses and faith communities.
How to reach us:
828-255-9282
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.lovingfood.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ LovingFoodResources |
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Loving Food Resources has been an all-volunteer agency since it was founded in 1991. As LFR has grown, we recognized that we could not continue as all volunteer. The increase in grants written, grants received, reports required and other administrative requirements made us realize that we were going to need a paid employee. To that end, we formed a Transition Committee and met with a local consultant to help us identify all that we needed to do to make this happen. The position was announced and the committee culled through 28 applications. Six applicants were scheduled for interview. Three were selected for a second interview. Our first Director started June 8, 2015.
 We are pleased to announce Nancy Gavin as our first Director. Most recently, Nancy was employed as Director of Parish Ministries at a United Methodist Church in Maryland. She has experience in project management, volunteer coordination, peer counseling, teaching, fundraising and desktop publishing. Nancy, four cats and husband Mike, a retired Baltimore City firefighter, moved to Black Mountain in January 2015. And we are so pleased that they moved here. Nancy has made sure to meet all of our active clients and volunteers. All feedback is very positive!
Nancy has been oriented to all aspects of the pantry, both hands-on and administrative. She is a wonderful addition LFR. If you have not met Nancy, please come by and meet her. One opportunity will be the Annual Cookie Party, Friday, December 18, 2015.
Barbara Bell, President |
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On July 31st, Loving Food Resources held An Affair in White on the top floor of the Renaissance Hotel. It was an absolutely beautiful setting, and a lovely sunset so graciously accompanied the evening. Tasty hors d’oeuvres were absolutely top notch, and the Renaissance staff provided five-star service.
Both the silent auction and the live auction were a success. Kim Smith, of Charlie’s Angels Animal Rescue, was a huge help and ensured that the auctioning process went smoothly. Susan Reinhardt was the guest MC, and Allen Brasington served as our Auctioneer.
Loving Food Resources would like to give a very special thanks to all of the volunteers who made this occasion one that will not be forgotten. We wish to thank all of our sponsors, donors and those who participated in the auctions. None of this would have been possible without your support. Thank you so much for making this happen!
It was great to see everyone come together for such a loving cause. This night was one for the books, and we look forward to it being an annual affair.
Our goal is to propagate The Affair in White throughout our community, and we hope for an even greater triumph next year. There is power in unity. Together, we really can make a difference. |
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| From the time of my first interview for the position of Director, I felt LFR and I were meant to be together. My work life started in the corporate world, but I felt the call to church work sixteen years ago. After moving from Maryland to Black Mountain in January, it was my intention to find work with a nonprofit that makes a real difference in the community. After my first interview I knew this position was the right fit and, fortunately, the offer was made and here we are, nearly six months later.In the past five months I have learned more about the rich history of LFR, its past struggles, and the key people who have kept it in operation as an all-volunteer agency for twenty-four years. I have had the privilege of working alongside a few volunteers who have been with LFR almost since its inception, and I have met brand new volunteers who believe in the mission and will help ensure its success for the next quarter century.
I have also met some of our partners who provide financial support to LFR and I will be meeting more of you in the coming months. Thanks to good financial stewardship, LFR has ended the year in the black once again. We cannot continue to serve our current clients and expand our programs and outreach without the support of our partners. New programs are in the pipeline, including programs that will empower our clients to improve their health through better nutritional choices.
Of course what has really solidified my belief that I belong at LFR is my interaction with our clients. I hear their personal stories, share their laughter and their tears, and receive their gratitude for the support they receive through LFR. Each Saturday they provide the proof that LFR is needed and makes a real difference in this community.
Thank you volunteers, partners, and clients for welcoming me into your community. Onward, forward, to the next quarter century in the life of Loving Food Resources!
Blessings, Nancy |
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 Loving Food Resources hosts its annual Holiday Cookie Party on Friday, December 18th, at Kenilworth Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall on Chiles Avenue from 6 to 8 PM. Bring 4 dozen or more homemade cookies to help fill 200 cake boxes with cookies for the clients of Loving Food Resources and some to share. Coffee and milk will be provided. Cookies may also be dropped off at Ace Hardware North on Dec. 18th for delivery to the church (before 4 PM).
This is a great event for families and small children to get everyone in the spirit of the holidays and an easy way to teach kids that volunteering is fun. For more information, contact Betty Sharpless at 828-273-2531 or [email protected].
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| It’s time to bring heart and soul to the table |
| By Sandy Buchanan, RD, CDE
When we think of nutrition, we hear in our heads all the cultural and media messages first and foremost. “This is bad for you, this is good for you, don’t eat this, eat this.” They have taken over our minds for the past 20 years. They have a profit to make and are good at that! I found myself angry and disappointed and asked myself, what truly is nourishing?
Food is all about how we let love in.
Nourishment is all about how we let love in.
Moving the body is all about how we let love in.
Nourishment is deep caring for self through:
- Food
- Body care
- Taking time
- Rest
- Soulful hobbies and activities
- Slowing down
An eating psychologist, Marc David says, “You can be eating the healthiest food on the planet, but if you are eating under a state of anxiety, rush, fear, stress, push, hurry—then you aren’t metabolizing your meal fully. Digestion is decreased, calorie burning capacity decreases, nutrients are excreted, digestive symptoms are unleashed—bloating, heaviness, indigestion, and over-eating is likely.”
It’s time to bring heart and soul to the table. Find your integrity and power and dignity. Become a mindful eater, a soulful eater.
Changing from a fast eater into a slow/relaxed eater is a huge nutritional and health victory!
- Eat slowly, be aware, sensuous, conscious, awake and attuned to body wisdom.
- Before you eat, ask yourself ”Am I about to eat under stress? Is my mind in high gear?”
- Deeply inhale, filling your lungs to 2/3 capacity.
- Hold your breathe for several seconds.
- Exhale fully.
- Notice your posture as you eat. A straight spine allows for fuller, deeper breathes.
- Bring food to you rather than bringing yourself to it.
- Eat with the back straight
- Chin parallel to the earth
- Shoulders relaxed
- Knees slightly lower than the hips
We create a sense of dignity, watchfulness, and quiet self-respect. Slow is the new sexy.
“This is the most powerful nutritional shift that most north Americans can make when it comes to bodily health, and a healthy relationship with food. Without this shift, I consider all other health and nutrition strategies–such as good food, good supplements, good exercise–as ultimately ineffective.“
—Marc David, Eating Psychologist. |
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| Grants are Life Blood for LFR |
This will come as no surprise to anyone, I’m sure: funding for our pantry is a non-stop chore. We have both a Fundraising Committee and a Grants Committee as well. And both elements are critical in our continuing service for our clients.
The Grants Committee is made up of Mike Stevenson, Merilee Ford, and Lewis Sorrells and is currently working together to find $42,000 for our budget this year. This group would be happy to welcome anyone’s interest in learning more about grant writing. One thing these volunteers have in common, besides a strong interest in LFR’s purpose, is that they had no previous grant writing experience! While this is not a recommendation for an effective grant writer, everyone has to start somewhere, right?
 At this point in our year, we are happy to report we have received grants from both Food Lion and the Cathedral of All Souls to support the purchase of food for our shelves. At least four other grant proposals are in the pipeline and we are hopeful about successful conclusions. |
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