Asheville Poverty Initiative

Each week 12 Baskets Caf serves lunch 2 days and provides grocery takeaway 2 days to all who come at no charge, serving donated/rescued food provided by local restaurants, food services, grocery stores, and farms. In 2023 the Caf served over 22,000 meals and rescued approximately 120,000 pounds of food.

12 Baskets Caf also provides hosted meeting space for community groups outside of food serving hours. Affinity groups include people creating art and music, sharing creative writings, playing chess, discussing important local topics, or just watching a movie together. Started in September, this program quickly grew to 30 meetings per month.

API's Realities of Poverty Education Programs include group discussions, panels, and tours of places in downtown Asheville a homeless person might visit in a day. Groups can include schools, colleges, churches, civic groups, or interested individuals. The programs are led by our Poverty Educators, giving voice and leadership opportunities to people with life experiences of poverty to educate others as to the causes and challenges of poverty. This program was re-started in October 2023 with a dedicated coordinator and provided 3 programs to 22 participants in October and November.