Meal Availability and Asheville’s Unhoused: an Inside Look
Among the daily struggles of Asheville’s unhoused population, the question of “Where will I get my next meal?” is perhaps the most important. Many rely on organizations dedicated to providing meals throughout the week, but issues arise when there is a gap in availability.
As of a couple of months ago, Haywood Street Congregation discontinued their Sunday meal service, opting instead for a family style format on Wednesdays. A FAQ on their website cites sustainability as the primary reason or this change;
“In its current format, the Downtown Welcome Table is on a crash course with sustainability. Not just the money. The pace, volume and intensity are spiraling upward rapidly… It’s necessary for us to adapt and get creative in order to make sure we are staying on track with what we are really trying to accomplish” — from a document entitled Changes Coming to the Downtown Welcome Table
The FAQ also mentions the primary purpose of their meal service;
“The meal is meant to be a platform for relationships. Addressing food insecurity is secondary” — from above document
This change has left a noticeable gap in food availability for the unhoused of Asheville. I would like to mention here that the purpose of this article is not to criticize Haywood Street Congregation, nor is it to blame them for the food insecurity suffered by Asheville’s unhoused. Instead, I aim to educate you, the reader, on the food-related struggles of Asheville’s unhoused and what the reader could potentially do to help.
In order to learn more about these issues, I spoke with Ira Morningstar. Ira is a UNCA student that dedicates much of their free time to aiding the unhoused of Asheville in their food-related struggles. Ira spoke for themselves, and not for any organization.
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When asked about the gap in food availability on Sundays, Ira had this to say;
“There just isn’t enough food on Sundays. If you want breakfast you have to get up at 7 to get to sunrise, and a lot of folk just can’t do that. That means that streetside is your only meal Sundays if you don’t want to eat at Western Carolina Rescue Ministries. Haywood Street congregation used to do a big meal Sunday mornings, but they stopped a couple of months ago, and that’s left a big gap, especially because we (streetside) would serve their leftovers. We (streetside) just don’t have enough food, and that means people don’t eat.” — Ira Morningstar
Ira is a member of ASP’s streetside, an organization that handles food distribution aimed at tackling the food insecurity suffered by Asheville’s unhoused. As Ira helps with the food distribution on Sundays, they talk with many of the folks who are impacted by this gap in service.
I asked Ira what a reader interested in helping could do, and they had this to say.
“People can donate to streetside, our cashapp is $streets1de, or drop stuff off at our bins around town. The full list is linked in the AVL survival instagram, but Raven and Crone is the one near campus. If you want to work through a more official source, the Asheville Poverty Initiative does great work.” — Ira Morningstar
I will provide a link to streetside’s cashapp at the end of this article, as well as a link to the website for Asheville Poverty Initiative.
Whether it’s food, donations, or supplies, every little bit helps. Below are some helpful links for interested readers.
