12 Baskets Cafe and Peace Gardens

For those that are playing the trivia every day, the last blog’s answer is Asheville was labeled an outpost in 1797.

 Today we were given the gift of sleeping in.  A well-enjoyed luxury this trip!  And then it was off to 12 Baskets Café, an initiative of the Asheville Poverty Initiative.  They use rescued food from grocery stores and restaurants to set a table so community can happen.  Folks with resources and those with less resources come to eat together, to befriend each other and to share life on Monday and Thursday afternoons.

While at the cafe, we met with Thornne, a veteran who was unhoused for 5 years, to talk about the reality of houselessness in Asheville. He’s a poverty educator with Asheville Poverty Initiative and told us about the things we often miss about our neighbors experiencing poverty- how one thing, such as not having access to a restroom, can lead to arrest or fines, which can lead to missed appointments or unpaid tickets which can continue to harm folks. It’s a system that makes it hard for life to be different for our neighbors.

Lunch time was a much different feel than Haywood Street- it was calmer and there was more time to sit and chat and form relationships. On the other hand, a lot fewer folks were fed. Both places serve a distinct need in caring for our neighbors and both were places were love was evident and on the menu. Some of the same volunteers were there both Sunday and Monday as well as many of the same guests. It made it feel a bit like home when we walked in.

A few stories that we heard were from Ethan who is a local sculpture professor that goes to connect with his community. Another member, Madisyn who is an astrologer, has a social media following of almost 50k and urges women to reawaken their femininity and stand up for themselves. The volunteers also shared their story about why they volunteer, it being a type of therapy for them to give back to their community.

To celebrate the first day of spring, we went to Dairy Queen to get free ice cream cones for everyone- and then went on a brief driving tour of downtown before stopping at the Urban Peace Garden.

The Peace Garden is an art installation that focuses on the message of educating people of African American history, raises awareness of gun violence and honors those lost to it, as well as drawing our attention to social and environmental problems.

In 2003 after the 2nd war in Iraq, DeWayne Barton and Safi Martin saw that their community was working to recover from recurring trauma of the war on drugs. Their motto is, “...growing gardens, cultivating gardens, and transforming trauma,” this is exactly what they do. They also have a pay as you can farmer’s market, run a tour company to help folks explore Asheville’s historically black neighborhoods with a expert, and make it a point to keep the peace garden free so that everyone can have equal access to it. 

Dwayne happened to be out when we were there, so we got to chat with him- hearing his story and sharing ours. He was getting ready for an evening meeting of Asheville’s Community Reparations Commission that he serves on. He hoped the committee would work to strengthen already existing programs to right historical inequities. He wants to build on the legacy of a strong black community that 3 generations of his family helped build in the Asheville area, including the excellence that happened in the segregated school system, despite the lack of resources and support. He was a tireless cheerleader for hope and for what might be among his community.

Getting back to the cabins, (after a stop at another Dairy Queen for yet another ice cream cone) we ate lasagna and shared the stories we heard today at the table. As we gathered for Reflection, we met in small groups of 2 people talking about our day, when we saw God, what was challenging and surprising, and what we learned. And then we gathered for Evening Prayer, in our regular daily rhythm, lifting up the names of those we met today.

What percent of greenhouse gases are produced by food waste?

A: 15%

B: 10% 

C: 8%