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I recently celebrated my one year anniversary as the first paid Director of Loving Food Resources and what an amazing year it has been! I will summarize the past year in our Annual Report which will be released at the end of July, but our focus in this newsletter is on the past twenty-five years of Loving Food Resources. 

In the past year, I have learned a lot of the history of LFR and I have really gained an appreciation for how far the organization has progressed, and how difficult it must have been at times to operate as an all-volunteer organization. That the organization has survived, and thrived, is a testament to the dedication and hard work of long-time volunteers such as Barbara Bell, Betty Sharpless, Kay Butt, Leland Edwards, Mike Stevenson, and many others. These volunteers caught the vision of the founders, Bill Allen, Tommy Amerson, and Bill Bednarek and, along with Joan Marshall, carried that vision forward through the years. LFR grew from an organization that gave out pre-packed boxes of food to the self-serve food pantry it is today thanks to the leadership, sweat and tears of those who were committed to the cause. I have heard the stories of how the pantry operated in the red with volunteers not submitting shopping receipts because there wasn’t enough money to pay the rent, much less reimburse for food.

Now, thanks to the Art Fryar Trust and to our generous donors, we have operated in the black for the past four years. We are able to pay the rent and utilities, purchase food and personal care items, a box truck and a van have relieved Betty and Kay from hauling pyramids of food boxes in pickup trucks, and we now have a paid Director. Loving Food Resources has come a long way in twenty-five years, but not without the passion and hard work of dedicated volunteers and donors who share the vision of the founders. Looking ahead, the future is bright for LFR. 

Here’s to the next twenty-five years!

I met the other redhead as a result of being the only person who didn’t know better than to volunteer for a local Pride parade in 1990. I didn’t know I would be the only female in a room of drag queens, bar owners and Bill Allen. In my mid thirties I really had no concept of what made the Asheville Gay, Lesbian, Bi and Trans scene so unique.  Although being involved in the inaugural Asheville Pride parade and subsequent Prides would change my life, meeting Bill Allen would form it. Bill and I connected on the fight against AIDS. Bill kept saying I needed to meet this woman I would really like.  Unknown to me, he was saying the same thing to Barbara Bell, whom he had met through the VA.  We both had the same reaction…yeah, whatever!

Turns out we did meet under sad circumstances when Bill’s then partner was passing due to complications from AIDS. That’s when we united for the first time for a common cause…setting the pattern for our life long friendship. With two determined red headed women fighting for the same cause, failure was not an option.  

It turns out we have the ying and yang of skill sets.  We both became involved in keeping LFR afloat.  Not an easy task. I can’t even guess how many drag shows Barbara has attended or I have performed in. If that was what it took to raise money, we did it. In 1995, we dared to raise money in a new way with a “fundraiser!” Crazy! With the help of WCQS, Diana Wortham Theatre and a grant from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, we dared to host a concert and a fundraising walk! Crazy!! When we learned that we had raised a whopping $2,500 we knew we were on to something!

Since then we have never looked back.  We have raised money with the WCQS matching donations, we have hosted the Holiday Cookie Party for more years than can be counted, we have shopped at MANNA every darn Tuesday for years, (Barbara even longer than I have) and pulled LFR back from the brink more than a few times. We have pawed through bins and boxes of food at MANNA Food Bank trying to find food that respects the LFR client’s needs and wants.

Here is what I know about Barbara Bell: She treats everyone with an equal and open respect and values everyone’s skills. She is not worried about what people say, only what our client’s will have to eat. She brings out the best in people because she expects no less. She gives 125% effort to whatever she puts her mind to.

Loving Food Resource would not be what it is today without her. I would not be who I am today without the other redhead.

Little has changed in my fourteen years volunteering at LFR. Clients shop today as they did in 2002 (the pre-pack boxes were before that time), and while the configuration of the shelves has changed, the number of freezers and refrigerators has grown, the quality and variety of the fresh produce on offer has increased—the shelves groan with the bounty of local farmers, grocers, and LFR’s own community garden—very little has really changed. Which means that everything has changed and everything has changed for the better: it’s just hard to see and register the changes as they happen. I think specifically of the ways in which changes have kept the needs of the client-shopper uppermost, rather than making changes that would work best for the staff or the volunteer. A small service organization has few luxuries to boast of but concentrating on “feeding the needy” is surely one of them: no distractions, no temptations. Which doesn’t mean that LFR hasn’t been vulnerable to economic downturns or the actions and inactions of governments, but that we’ve kept our eyes on the prize, we’ve worked with generous partners and friends across the nation and in our local communities, and we’ve managed to deliver a valuable and much-needed service to our friends in need. And we’ve done all this with intelligence, love, respect, and good humor.

My name is Kay and I am a volunteer at LFR. Many years ago I started down that long rambling path of sobriety. Had been drinking every night till I passed out for 12 years. Didn’t realize how much time it took to stay that drunk until I put down the drink and found I was at a loss as to what to do with all this spare time on my hands. My friend Betty asked if I wanted to help shop for and transport food to LFR. It seemed a good way to fill in some of the extra time I had and so I signed on.
 
For twenty three years now I have shown up at MANNA Food Bank on Tuesday mornings. I help shop for food and now days help load ole Maw Bell, our box truck, so that Bryan can transport the groceries to the church and the volunteers waiting there to unload, sort and stock. In the beginning though we hadn’t a box truck or lots of volunteers.
 
Tuesday mornings Betty and I would shop, load our trucks, drive to the church and unload. Do you know that you can get 64 banana boxes loaded safely into a full size pick-up truck? We would wheel the boxes in….five at time on hand trucks. We only had the small front room for LFR at the time and so would just leave the stacks in the walk spaces and then off we’d go to our regular jobs for the day. Come evening we would return and sort and shelve all that we had brought in that morning so that things were ready for the clients come Saturday morn.
 
A lot has changed over the years. The food bank has moved three times, the number of clients we serve has tripled, we have a Board and a Director, a box truck, the whole wing of the church to operate out of and a greater number of loving people that volunteer. Now days I just shop and load the truck and am grateful that I found a way to spend my time being useful instead of drunk. 

Southern Country Asheville Raises Funds 
for LFR.
In the early 1990’s, two step and line dancing became very popular, especially in the gay and lesbian community. An international organization was formed called the International Association of Gay and Lesbian Country Western Dance Clubs.  Many cities like Asheville formed clubs and in the south the clubs became known as Southern Country.

In addition to having fun and dancing, the clubs each took on a civic goal of donating funds back into the community. Asheville’s chapter did this through special events including an annual Hoedown (weekend of dancing and exhibitions from attending chapters). The benefactor of Southern Country was the newly created Loving Foods Resources.  The money raised came from auctions during the Hoedowns.  In addition, special events occurred during the year with funds earmarked for LFR.

One of the main reasons that Loving Food Resources was so dear to the members, was some of the original founders of LFR were members of the group and as AIDS spread throughout the community, it affected additional Southern Country members as well.

Unfortunately, Southern Country Asheville no longer is active; however, the memory of the fun and sense of accomplishments of doing for LFR still lingers on.

C.L.O.S.E.R – A Unique Early Gay Community Outreach and Funder of LFR
CLOSER is an acronym for Community Liaison Organization for Support Education and Reform.  Here was the original safe space for anyone (whether out or not) to come meet and find support from others without any stigmas or outing.  It began in the late 1980’s and thrived until 2000 where it started to wane and then finally ended in the mid 2000’s.

The meetings took place each week in the Parish Hall of the Cathedral of All Souls and in the 1990’s had a membership of over 150 people.  Some meetings, depending on the topic, exceeded that number as here was the means to learn about the latest happenings that affected the community and raise awareness.

Out of the membership of CLOSER, came editors of the now defunct “Community Connections” the Asheville Gay newspaper, founders of LFR and a number of other gay and lesbian organizations in Asheville.

Equally significant were the number of food drives held for LFR. Many a Pot Luck, held monthly, included a “bring a dish for the group and food for others” campaign. Once a year, a special Camp Drag show was held with LFR as the recipient of the proceeds. Attendance was standing room only and was always a sellout.

Asheville Red Ribbon Walk for LFR
In June of 1991, the red ribbon was adopted as the symbol of support for persons with HIV/AIDS.  It took a while to catch on, but when it did, it was embraced and worn as a badge of support.  Many communities came together to show support in raising awareness and funds to fight HIV/AIDS and those living with the disease.

Asheville was no different. In 1995 in a show of solidarity, awareness and means to raise funds, a Red Ribbon Walk was held from the Courthouse through the streets of downtown Asheville.  The money raised was split between LFR and WNCAP, Western North Carolina AIDS Project with hundreds of participants representing every aspect of the community walking.

As Board Secretary, the experience I have had thus far with Loving Food Resources has been both humbling and educational. I feel it necessary to say that I will never fill the shoes of Ellen Anastos, but meeting the influential souls such as her, Barbara Bell, Mike Stevenson and our lovely Executive Director, Nancy Gavin, have truly blessed my soul. That is just a few of the many faces and hearts behind the operation of LFR which make it the beautiful organization it has remained after all these years. I had the pleasure of interviewing Mike Stevenson about his dedicated involvement the past 14 years. Anyone who knows Mike will vouch for not only how intelligent and humble of a soul he is, but also what a respected presence he has in the community and with LFR. He truly is an exceptional human being and certainly validates the common phrase “one person can make a difference in the world.”

Mike shared how he became involved with the organization through All Souls- the church he attends. It was around 2002 when he initially started volunteering, and he shared how at that time “All Souls was kind of the delivery room for LFR, and I knew people who were engaged in that.” When I asked him if he ever would have pictured himself sitting here so many years down the road, you could see the memories overflow in his eyes as he softly replied “I wouldn’t have ever thought that I could make it that long – that far.” What has kept him for so long has been the “need for people to consistently be involved, and there was a challenge. You also meet a lot of neat people and clients.” The pantry has obviously progressed majorly since the earlier days. In reference to the growth of LFR, Mike shared how “instead of a trip around the block, it has come maybe a trip across the ocean. I would not have wanted to miss out on that.” 

Although volunteers are very special people and the food pantry certainly serves a beautiful purpose, being involved in a non-profit organization is not always a bed of roses. “A struggle in the past has been organization and space. The waiting room used to be the small bulk room back across from the produce. There wasn’t much room at all. That has certainly changed. To Barbara’s credit, there was a church that moved out of where the pantry is now, and when they did Barbara spoke with Kenilworth Presbyterian Church [property owners] and said ‘We need that space. How much would you charge us?’ If she had not had the common sense and courage to do that, we probably would not be in the position we are today. One of our greatest resources is our landlords.” 

Oftentimes when people are under intensive amounts of stress or poor health, fuses are short and personalities conflict. Surprisingly, that is not really the case with LFR. “Our clients live through a lot of stress and challenges. Occasions with tension have been very rare with clients.” When asked if he feels the focus of Loving Foods is still the same as it was before, Mike shared “Essentially it is. What is different is that we added The Emergency Food Assistance Program, which we did not have earlier. We have gained space; we have an office. We have routines, policies, and we have an Executive Director. People like Barbara Bell, EllenAnastos, Teddy Jordan as a bookkeeper and of course Nancy Gavin have all played a critical role in stabilizing a non-profit that had lots of ways to lose focus, trying to get week to week done. Now we are in a position that we can look at a broader time frame.”

Mike places a strong emphasis on ensuring clients and volunteers feel welcomed from the time they walk in the door. “There is a reason why ‘loving’ is in the title of this food pantry.” Loving Food Resources would not the same without Mike Stevenson, and we all wish to thank him from the bottom of our hearts for his major impact on this organization and for having a way of making every single person involved feel special. Thank you Mike for showing us all that kindness and compassion go a long way. 

I first met Barbara Bell in 1996 when I was hired as a primary care physician at the Asheville Veterans Administration Hospital. I was a newly hired doctor who felt rather lost and over whelmed in the large hospital system. Barbara on the other hand was the nurse administrator in charge of not only all of the nurses in the hospital but also the Associate Director in charge of the day-to-day operations of the entire Medical Center. The nurses behind her back referred to her as “The General” and I learned that even though she may have not always have been universally loved; she was without a doubt respected. Barbara later told me that she always knew about her “secret” nickname and thought that it was funny rather than an insult. 

As I settled into my work, Barbara and I seldom encountered each other within the hospital; however, our paths eventually crossed at an event that was sponsored by the Catholic Diocese of Charlotte. Barbara was cooking her famous White Bean Italian Sausage Pasta for the event (she loves to share the recipe) and I was a participant. It was a delicious way to start a wonderful friendship. I remember that we sat and talked after the event. 

Barbara and I don’t quite agree on what happened next to cement our working friendship but these are the basics: The Infectious Disease physician with the responsibility for the HIV Clinic at the VA Hospital resigned and there was no physician with an interest in HIV medicine to care for his patients until a new physician could be recruited.  

One day Barbara appeared in my office and asked me if I had an interest in taking care of the VA’s HIV patients for possibly 6 months. I told her that I would be interested but that I had my own clinic of patients to care for and that my appointments were booked.  Barbara and I differ on our memories of exactly how things transpired but the next thing that I remember is that my patients were cancelled and I was assigned to be the temporary physician for the HIV clinic. Barbara became my nurse! I quickly learned the authority of General Bell and her ability to get things done! We worked together for about 6 months until my permanent replacement was hired. 

It was about this time that Barbara invited me to begin volunteering with Loving Food Resources. I am guessing the year was around 1998 or 1999. At that time we lined up food boxes and filled them all with the same items. Volunteers worked in assembly line fashion. I remember that we worked out of one room in the same building where LFR is presently housed. 

In 2001, I had to move away from Asheville for a couple of years and when I returned in 2003, I resumed working at the VA Hospital. Barbara had retired from the hospital by that time but she was still volunteering for Loving Food Resources. By this time the “everyone gets the same thing boxes” had been replaced with the present day grocery store shelves. The LFR space had been enlarged and there was a client waiting area. The number of clients served had also been greatly expanded. For a time I served on the Board of Directors and learned just how much time and effort was involved with grant writing and being a board member. 

In 2004 I had the pleasure of meeting Barbara’s parents and fell in love particularly with her mother, Berta. Barbara often told me, “You don’t want to get on my mother’s bad side because she will give you, ‘the look’.” Once when I was on the receiving end of “the look” from Barbara’s mother I realized where “General Barbara” came by her own fierce look of displeasure when things weren’t going as she thought they ought to be. 

Even if I occasionally receive “the look” from her, I am proud to count Barbara Bell as one of my closest friends and I feel that without her efforts and persistence Loving Food Resources might not exist in its present robust form. Today LFR has a large client base, well-stocked shelves, a clean inviting building, TFAP, a full time paid director, an expanded volunteer base and stable funding. Barbara has not brought all of this about by herself of course, but she has been a constant presence that has allowed stable growth to occur.  Because of “General Bell” and those who have worked closely with her, I feel that Loving Food Resources should be providing care to clients for years to come.

Art Fryar and I met in 1978 when he ran Sound One and I purchased stereo equipment from him. We later joked that over subsequent years I purchased more stereo equipment, food, beverages and enjoyed live entertainment from businesses he established and ran. In the early 1990’s he came to visit me at MANNA Food Bank where I was executive director. He wanted to sell me anything or to share a joke. He was concerned about the growing population of people in the area who had become ill with HIV and would be needing help. He explained the vision of Loving Food Resources and how he thought a relationship with MANNA would be very beneficial in making that vision be a reality.
 
Many people in our community had substantial respect for Art and I was one of them. He had a compelling story so we made an agreement right there for the two organizations to work together. It has been, and continues to be, a fine relationship. Loving Food Resources has continued to serve those in WNC living with HIV and has expanded services to include anyone living at home under Hospice Care.
 
People Helping People, what a concept! A concept as old as civilization and the need is as great or greater today as it has ever been. Thank you Art, though you have “gone on” as we all will someday, your vision lives on as a reality every day. Thanks’ also to all the people who have carried that vision forward.

Founded in 1984, Mountain Food Products has grown by supporting the local community.  Ron Ainspan, founder and owner, is a strong advocate of the local farming community, and brings its fresh fruits and vegetables to restaurants, retailers and food service institutions in Western North Carolina.

Mountain Food Products encourages people to buy local, which is not only thousands of miles fresher, but makes a tangible difference in our growers’ lives and in our community.  Their definition of “local” is based on the “Appalachian Grown” standard, based on a 100 mile radius around Asheville.

Mountain Food Products also has a CSA Program, which stands for Community Supported Agriculture.  It is an investment in the beginning of the season that pays off every week.  Members receive a box of local produce each week throughout the growing season, delivered to one of the convenient pick-up locations. Everything is grown on farms within 100 miles of Asheville.  Check it out at Mountainfoodproducts.com.

Ron Ainspan is also a champion of the less fortunate.  He is an LFR sponsor and has collaborated closely with LFR, for most of its existence, to insure that our immune-suppressed clients have fresh fruits and vegetables.  He has participated in the on air challenges during WCQS fund-raisers which provide funds to purchase produce.   Every Saturday, a volunteer picks up the produce for distribution that day.  

HATS OFF to Ron Ainspan and Mountain Food Products!

Going to a tiny MANNA Food Bank, brainstorm of Toby Ives, in my tiny Ford Ranger.  Backing in, as that was the only access, taking as many boxes as allowed and learning to stack them in a pyramid so they wouldn’t fall off.  Driving v-e-r-y   s-l-o-w-l-y to Kenilworth Presbyterian, praying that no one would stop suddenly and make me lose the load…Unloading a half ton of food with one or two other folks…no hand trucks, no conveyor racks and two refrigerators…no dumpster

Midnight fundraisers at Scandals and the Green Room, now 35 Below, learning how to do drag… five girls practicing in the dining room. To this day I can still do all the moves of the back up singers in “My Girl” by Smokey Robinson. Graduating to going solo as Bobbie Bertram Sweetcheeks (Thanks for the name, Elizabeth…)

Delivering food to atrocious living conditions. Rooms heated only by an oven, drug dealers wondering who that white girl in a pick up was and WTF she was doing in the projects…

Working with our first board to get our 501 C3, something none of us knew anything about…

Realizing that just because you are sick and dying from AIDS doesn’t mean you don’t like Cocoa Puffs better than oatmeal or that you don’t deserve a sweet treat for comfort. 

Realizing that parents and families who wouldn’t come near a dying member of the family still felt righteous enough to have the basic fill-in-the-blank Baptist/Catholic/Christian funeral and feeling rage at these “Good Christians” who wouldn’t touch their children in their final days.

Knowing that a renter could be kicked out of an apartment if they were even thought to have AIDS.

Throwing the first annual Holiday Cookie party in my dining room and loading the 30 boxes into Bill’s truck.

Making pumpkin pies and Easter baskets for clients until it reached over a100 clients. Learning from Kitty how to count how many jellybeans are in a bag to figure how many went in each basket.

Learning that everyone had a skill to share with LFR and LFR only works if many, many people give just a little to make it happen.

Learning not to judge folks for the situation they find themselves in, but to offer what I can to people where they are at the current time.

Going every Tuesday morning at 8 AM sharp to the new MANNA Food Bank on and listening to the wolves at the Nature Center howl as we waited for the food bank to open.

Meeting other folks from other food banks and realizing how many groups were doing what they could to address hunger in WNC.  Especially the Open Table ladies from Swannanoa who shopped at 8 AM also.  We all shopped the salvage boxes with each other’s needs in mind. “Here’s some applesauce! Do you need tomato sauce? Anyone need canned corn?”

Kay teaching a volunteer from another group how to waltz for his wedding between the racks of food, with me stepping in as the wife to be as needed.

Kay with her F-150 and I with my new (at the time) Ford Ranger loading over a ton of food in banana boxes. Stopping and reloading food in the middle of a very narrow back road…Joking and laughing with the new guys as we unloaded all that food onto the new conveyor tracks. Greeting the new Tuesday volunteers as Kay and I headed back to working for a living.

Spending the night snowed in at the church the night of the Holiday Cookie Party with Barbara Bell and having Leland and Greg wake us up by throwing rocks at the window. Shoveling the entire drive to make it possible for volunteers and clients to get in. Volunteers showed up from everywhere to make that Saturday happen.

Realizing that my time at LFR was the hardest but best spent time of my volunteer life.

I am so fortunate to have known Barbara Bell for the last 6 years. I met her when I began working at Kenilworth Presbyterian Church and we became fast friends. I was excited when asked to interview Barbara because I was sure to learn new things about this amazing powerhouse for Loving Food Resources. 
 
Barbara learned of Loving Food Resources very early on in the life of the food pantry in 1992. Barbara was a nurse administrator at the VA and also worked with HIV patients there. She became friends with Bill Allen, who was a VA patient and founder of LFR, and Betty Sharpless, a LFR board member at the time. Barbara first began volunteering by helping Betty with fundraising and then began volunteering on 4th Saturdays around 1994. 

I asked Barbara what have been the greatest challenges of Loving Food Resources over the years. The first major challenge that Barbara mentioned is when the pantry converted from a pre-pack to a self-serve pantry. Other challenges are more community and education based such as creating name recognition for the food pantry in the community and making sure that the public is aware that HIV hasn’t gone away. AIDS is now a chronic illness, not a terminal illness, which means that clients are staying with the pantry longer. When longevity, is combined with new client referrals, we get an ever increasing client base for LFR. Barbara also noted that unfortunately the pantry will not be out of business any time soon. One challenge that Barbara has been personally involved in solving is creating a unique fundraiser that is different from other non-profits. The Affair in White is proof that Barbara is up for the challenge and has helped create something really special.

Along with challenges comes success. I asked Barbara what have been some of the great achievements of the pantry. The biggest achievement Barbara noted was that Loving Food Resources has become a self-serve pantry giving clients the dignity of choice. Barbara is also proud that LFR is beginning to meet the needs of clients living in surrounding counties and that the pantry provides personal care and household items. Personal care and household items are not available for purchase with SNAP (Food Stamp) benefits and people living with compromised immune systems need access to hygiene items for their health. 

Barbara’s vision for the next 25 years of Loving Food Resources is one that comes from her heart. Barbara would love to see increased food delivery to clients living in outlying counties, more space and more healthy food choices. 

Barbara has seen many changes since she began volunteering in 1994. The most notable changes are the change in the demographics of who the pantry serves. AIDS is no longer a “gay white male” illness but is increasingly affecting people of color. Barbara herself has been changed by her time serving Loving Food Resources. She has a deep respect for the clients of LFR and is very proud of how the pantry can do so much with so little. When asked how she has been impacted by her time at the pantry Barbara emphatically replied, “It is an honor and privilege to help at LFR. Well, Barbara, I say it is an honor and a privilege to know you! Thank you for giving 22 years of your life helping those in need.