WELCOME FROM HAYWOOD STREET:
UPDATES:
We are thrilled to announce an incredible, new fundraising effort coordinated by Wicked Weed Brewing and Grammy award-winning, WNC-based band, Steep Canyons Rangers.
Although the Rangers single track “Arm in Arm” will not release until October 16, the entire album is available NOW for pre-order. AND, for every album sold (up to the first 2,000), Wicked Weed will contribute $10 to The Downtown Welcome Table! This effort has the potential to raise $20,000 for the Welcome Table and has the known outcome of providing grace, nourishment and dignity to Asheville’s most marginalized populations.
You can pre-order your copy today by clicking here!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1. This week’s online worship service
2. Golf for Awareness is on! And while this well-loved event will play out a little differently this year, it is still going to be great (and it’s still for a great cause!) Learn more and register here!
CURRENT WAYS TO SUPPORT THE MINISTRY & OUR FRIENDS:
1. Make a meal for Friends staying in Respite. Click here to sign up!
2. We are still in need of small-sized underwear for both men and women, walking shoes (sandals or tennis shoes), all seasonal clothing items, and masks.
* All items can be dropped off Tuesdays from 10am – 12pm (back-side of the building via the white door)
A HAYWOOD STREET REFLECTION BY: LAURA
A friend in the parking lot recently shared how much he appreciates Haywood Street. He specifically named consistency as something he is grateful for. “You’re always the same,” he said. “ I know what I’m gonna get when I come here.” I found that an interesting observation given my own sense that the pace of change has been frequent over these past four months and the ministry looks quite different than it did a year ago.
First the dining room closed, then to-go-boxes showed up — in force! More than 24,000 of them have been distributed since mid-March, always with a hot meal inside and always prepared with love and care just like every other Downtown Welcome Table meal. We shifted to biodegradable sugarcane containers in June, something we hope to continue for as long as it is necessary to serve takeaway meals.
Respite closed for three weeks at the end of March and then re-opened in April with new protocols and an expanded service definition. The average length of stay increased by 10 days as several medically vulnerable friends sheltered-in-place with us during May and June. We stopped taking clothing donations. Then we started again, with companions working to fulfill specific requests for needed items on meal days. Worship went online and communion was offered outside — with bread and grape juice served from single-use paper ketchup cups.
It’s very comforting to know that even with all of the changes, Haywood Street is the same. A community of abundant grace and radical welcome, always seeking to break down barriers that divide the ‘haves’ from the ‘have-nots’ and remind us that we all need each other.
More change is on the horizon. After August 1st, we will return to our previous rhythm of two meals per week — Wednesday lunch and Sunday breakfast. The additional Saturday meal, which has been in effect for the past five months, has been nothing short of a miraculous endeavor and a true testament to the devotion of Haywood Street staff, volunteers, donors and partner restaurants. Thankfully, we know Asheville to be a caring community where non-profits, faith-based groups and other public and private organizations work together to address critical needs. We will communicate this information to members of our community and ensure everyone knows about Saturday meals offered by other groups including the Asheville Survival Project, Least of These, and the Western Carolina Rescue Mission.
As we move into the coming months, our intention is to continue providing dignity and love through nourishing meals and to safely add back programming that was interrupted when COVID-19 arrived. Already, we have begun hosting partner organizations like Seek Healing, Mission Health Partners, and 12-step recovery groups. The ‘I Am Home Art Project’ will soon resume on-site programming and outdoor worship will begin taking place on Wednesdays. All of this is possible thanks to three large, semi-permanent tents now standing in our parking lot.
We promise to remain flexible in these challenging times; and to always stay the same. Thank you for partnering with us on this journey.
