Our organization was originally founded under the name We Give A Share. The idea was a simple one, born in response to the 2020 pandemic which resulted in community members being without access to food. It also left local farmers with unsold produce in the fields with restaurant and sales outlets shut down. A group of food equity advocates envisioned selling “shares” of local farms dedicated to growing food for our city’s most vulnerable communities.

Since its inception, our work has existed to create a link between local farmers and those who face systemic barriers to quality food.

When it began, We Give A Share started purchasing local produceo keep small family farms in business, and partnered with the Southside Kitchen to transform it into delicious meals that were shared with residents living in the Southside community through the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville.

In the early days, we were sending out over 500 meals per day.

We began as an organization motivated by the shared dedication of farmers, chefs, community advocates and generous donors who believed in what we were doing. We were formed out of necessity but we learned quickly that our vision of ensuring all plates as equal needed to continue well past the catastrophe of a global pandemic. 

So we decided to make our vision crystal clear with a new name that reflects our mission more genuinely: Equal Plates Project.