Ashe Outreach: Tackling Food Security

Part of the WNC Stories of Success in Food Systems Project

Ashe Outreach is a small non-profit addressing food insecurity in Ashe County. I spoke with Executive Director Dave Ahrens to identify the challenges the organization faces, learn how it gauges success, and explore how it continues to serve the community despite limited funds. I am a former volunteer with Ashe Outreach and have deep ties to this community.

Dave and I sat at one of the tables in the dining room. The space bustled with volunteers as they weaved their way in and out. Meal preparations for the Fish Fry and meal deliveries for the Mobile Meal Program had just been completed, and customers began to pick up their weekly food boxes. Ashe Outreach programs are powered by donors, grants, and their bi-weekly fundraiser: the Fish Fry. Growing up, my family and I went to this fundraiser. In such a rural community, there are very few opportunities to engage with your fellow community members. If you want to see people outside of church or school, you go to the Fish Fry. The event provides affordable meals to around 300 people bi-weekly, along with a community space, which is essential to the mental health of those in such a rural area.  

After struggling with the fallout of COVID-19, Ashe Outreach sent flyers around the community asking for volunteers. I took this as an opportunity to become more involved with my community and soon began volunteering each week. I learned about the nonprofit space and the issues with food insecurity in Western North Carolina. I also met some of the most dedicated and inspiring people in my county.

The volunteers and staff at Ashe Outreach run a successful food distribution program targeting several at-risk populations, including children, the elderly, and food-insecure families. The Backpack Program provides weekend foods and snacks for food-insecure families in the Ashe County School system. They also provide mobile meals for the elderly, supporting customers’ mental health through their visits when delivering meals. Ashe Outreach also runs food pantry pick-ups throughout the year, providing fresh fruits and vegetables for families in the summer.  

Ashe Outreach is a small organization with a big impact. They deliver 830 mobile meals each month, providing essential meals to elderly members of the community who can no longer care for themselves. Through the Backpack program, Ashe Outreach provides 380 weekend meals and snacks to families in need. Each month, 445 community members pick up food at the pantry. Pantry pickups include canned goods, convenient frozen meals, and fresh local produce. 

I first asked Dave what had led to him taking on his position at Ashe Outreach. He recalled how when he and his wife first moved to Ashe County, they had donated some furniture to the community center located in the same building as Ashe Outreach. One of the volunteers invited them to help out at the pantry, and this soon became integrated into their family’s weekly routine. 

The organization struggled after the pandemic, and the previous leadership was removed due to financial mismanagement. Dave and other concerned volunteers stepped in to help rebuild and reclaim the organization. Dave was asked to step up as the director in 2022. Since then, Dave has become familiar with the many challenges of running a nonprofit organization in Western North Carolina. 

Being a nonprofit organization that operates in such a rural location presents unique challenges. Distance in and of itself is a challenge, as it is difficult for Ashe Outreach to pick up food donations from Second Harvest, the primary food bank for their region, which is located in Winston-Salem, 110 miles from the facility. Distance also deters volunteers from making the trip out to the food bank. Ashe Outreach relies on approximately 15 local volunteers to maintain operations, many of whom are elderly. Dave cited the difficulty of getting youth in the community involved, leaving older volunteers to be the main source of support for the organization. Infrastructure is also a challenge for the organization. Internet access is spotty at best, making financial documents and grant applications difficult to access, along with the database needed to log pantry customers and track their impact for future funding opportunities. 

Building relationships with private donors while being a rural nonprofit is also a challenge. While Ashe County itself is rural, Ashe Outreach is about an hour from the county’s hub of West Jefferson and about 10 minutes away from the Tennessee state line. This leads to isolation from the county’s other food banks and resources. When speaking with Dave, he recalled when there was an article published in the Ashe Post and Times about all the food banks within the county. Ashe Outreach was not mentioned in this article.

The reality of many nonprofits, especially small ones, is that they are often one unexpected expense away from not being able to continue their mission. Dave told me of a recent blow to the budget, the loss of their truck. Years ago, Ashe Outreach used a grant to purchase a box truck that would allow them to receive food from Second Harvest in Winston-Salem. Second Harvest provides the bulk of the food given out at Ashe Outreach’s food pantry. However, the engine recently went out on the truck, making it impossible to do pick-ups from Second Harvest. While Ashe Outreach has been successful in maintaining a balanced budget since the transition of the organization post-pandemic, the issues with the truck have now challenged its financial stability. 

They are hopeful to apply for a grant to get a new truck, but the wait time between application submission and grant disbursement is simply too long. The organization picks up food from Second Harvest every three weeks, and they cannot afford to lose this valuable source of food for their Mobile Meal Program and the food pantry. They also struggle with the organizational capacity to write grants. Applications are often lengthy and complicated. While Ashe Outreach staff have participated in online grant training resources in the past, the reality is that their staff is already stretched thin with the demanding tasks of serving their community. This makes resources from the state for grant writing assistance an essential tool for small organizations like Ashe Outreach. 

While there are issues with grant applications, Dave spoke to me about the impact of grants on their organization. Second Harvest has grants that are accessible, having short and simple applications for nonprofits. These grants have allowed them to purchase freezers, fridges, and dishwashers. They also support smaller projects, like the Farm Fresh Food Program, which provides fresh produce to food bank customers with medical dietary restrictions.

My final question to Dave was to name a time when he felt like the organization’s mission had been accomplished. His answer was simply, “every day.” He recalled how he spent his morning delivering a mobile meal to an elderly woman in the community. She has no family in the area, and the mobile meal deliveries are her only source of regular interaction with others. Dave said that he was happy to sit and talk with her for a minute, as all volunteers do when they deliver meals.  

While Ashe Outreach provides essential nourishment for the community of Ashe, it has grown into so much more. The bi-weekly fundraiser engages locals in the organization’s mission and provides an essential meeting place for the rural community. The mobile meal program provides those who cannot leave home with not only a warm meal but also an opportunity to be in company with someone. Small organizations like this one make the lives of rural North Carolinians better each day, and they need our support. 

To learn more about Ashe Outreach or support their mission, please visit https://www.asheoutreach.com/ or contact Dave at 336-336-1314.