Our New Partner and the Places We'll Go!

We are excited to share some very good news: WGAS is now collaborating with Eagle Market Streets Development Corporation, CDC (EMSDC) serving as our 501(c)3 fiscal agent! While, as an organization, we have applied for our own 501(c)3 status, the legal work and processes take time. EMSDC has agreed to provide protection until we can claim our own official non-profit status. 

This means that all donations, before August 1, 2020, are tax-deductible under this agreement. If you donated to us before this date, your gifts were tax-deductible under the City of Asheville Housing Authority Foundation. 

But there’s more to be excited about because EMSDC will also support us with bookkeeping, grant writing and administration services.  And as a partner, they will be helping us shape the organization going forward, broadening our outreach and involvement to a wider swath of the community. Their skills in helping provide training, education and business development will also be invaluable to WGAS and to the Southside Kitchen operation. 

WGAS has expanded its farming partners to include several local farms – Creasman Farm, Looking Glass Creamery, Sunburst Trout, Gaining Ground Farm, Dry Ridge Farm, Olivette Farm, Grace Covenant Community Garden, Farm and Sparrow, Southside Garden, Greentoe Ground Farm, Alta Vista Farm and Feed Asheville West. This means fresher food available for the Southside Kitchen team to transform into nourishing and delicious meals to residents in the Southside neighborhood and beyond. It also means you are helping support our local farms and agricultural community, providing them with commitment to purchase fresh food and giving them the assurance to plan for their individual farm capacities. 

The amazing team at Southside Kitchen continues to prepare and serve 1500 meals each week to Housing Authority residents, meals that are fresh, nutritious and delicious. We are reinstating kitchen training in partnership with A-B Technical College’s acclaimed culinary program. As a way to move the kitchen enterprise to a co-op owned sustainable business, we are discussing branching out our food clientele base to include students at Verner Early Learning Center in Swannanoa as well as the new Peak Academy which plans to open in fall of 2021. 

While 2020 has proved a tough year for everyone, we feel quite fortunate that out of hard times has come an inspiring endeavor that’s beneficial across our community. We thank you all from the bottom of our collective hearts for getting us here! 

The We Give A Share Team