Helpmate for the Holidays

The holidays can be stressful for us all- and even more so for families in crisis and transition. 

At Helpmate we are grateful for the concern and care our community shows during the holidays.  Everyone is so thoughtful about the needs of women and children in our shelter-  and eager to help them make it as happy an occasion as possible.

Many people, families, congregations, and clubs donated toys, scarves, hats, mittens, and self-care items for distribution within the shelter.  We also received gift cards to area stores, which were given to residents and other mothers to help them shop for their own families.

Others helped us create a warm and loving home.  Special thanks goes to The Altrusa Club of Asheville, MAHEC Family Medicine, The Junior League of Asheville and  especially to Sharon Port who  donated and delivered a wonderful holiday meal to the shelter residents. So many gave so much to bring comfort and joy to the 21 women  and 16 children who stayed in our facility from Thanksgiving to New Year’s. 

Residents were particularly grateful that the shelter did not lose power during the pre-Christmas snowstorm, and that in this they were luckier than a lot of our neighbors in Asheville and Buncombe County!  Our main difficulty was that the parking lot was not clear until the snow melted, so if anyone out there cares to contribute snow scraping during the next go around, give our Volunteer Coordinator, Christy Price Coffee, a call at 254-2968 x 12.

Through the remainder of this frigid winter, we hope we can maintain the warmth we were shared this holiday.