In This Month's Update

• Recapping 2022 and looking ahead to 2023

•Our Current Pantry and Clothing Needs

• IAM Mobile Pantry January Schedule

•Giving Thanks for our Donors

•IAM's Current Volunteer Needs

During 2022, generous and compassionate people like you helped more than 4,000 Henderson County households, representing nearly 18,000 children and adults, find hope during a difficult year. 

With your support, Interfaith Assistance Ministry made it possible for hardworking neighbors to keep a roof over their heads -- and not have to live in the cold and dark. Because of your support, they found essential clothes, shoes, and coats for their children and themselves. Because of you, senior citizens, the disabled and those earning low wages fed their families during times when there simply wasn’t enough money to pay all the bills. And hundreds got to eat a holiday meal at home.

In 2022:



• IAM’s pantry provided area residents with seven days’ worth of food more than 60,000 times - representing more than 1.2 million meals of healthy, nutrient-dense food. The IAM pantry also distributed personal care items, cleaning supplies and pet food to the thousands of residents who showed up at our doors or received assistance from our new IAM Mobile Pantry.

• IAM prevented new homelessness by providing supplemental financial assistance to over 3,900 area residents who were struggling to pay the rent, needed help to keep the power on and water running, requested help with essential prescriptions, or needed gas vouchers so they could get to work and medical appointments.

• Our Clothing Assistance Department provided clothing and linens to more than 5,000 neighbors, including an increasing number of homeless residents. Every day we saw the smiles of adults and children who were ready for school, dressed appropriately for work, kept warm in the winter and selected new shoes that fit.

Despite all we accomplished together in 2022, our community faces many challenges ahead. IAM will need your help to continue to meet the basic needs of neighbors facing financial hardships. Housing costs are higher than ever. Inflation impacts low-wage earners especially hard. Families who seek help from IAM face unimaginable obstacles as they work to regain economic stability.

Your donations and financial gifts are the lifeblood of all of our efforts. Without you, the tens of thousands of residents we assist each year would face a more daunting and discouraging future, placing further stresses on Henderson County’s overall health, security and quality of life in our community.

We know 2023 will be another challenging year. But, thanks to your helping hands and caring hearts, we are confident that IAM will continue to stand at the forefront of organizations fighting to make our community a healthier, safer, and happier place for all of us to live.

Thank you again for all you do to support IAM and the children and adults who continue to suffer from poverty. We look forward to working with you in 2023. 

Blessings,

Elizabeth Willson Moss

Executive Director

IAM's new Mobile Pantry will be on the road again in January! This month we have four free food distribution events scheduled around Henderson County. These events help IAM expand its reach into the community and allow us to serve neighbors who might not be able to get to our pantry on Freeman Street due to transportation issues or their work/school schedules.

The IAM Mobile Pantry provides free food for a week for each member of a household and is available to any Henderson County residents experiencing difficulties securing sufficient and nutritious food for their families.

Thank you to Everyone!

IAM is grateful for the outpouring of support during the holiday season from communities of faith, civic organizations, businesses, neighborhoods, and hundreds of compassionate neighbors. You are the helping hands and caring hearts that make IAM's mission possible. Here are just a few of the many groups that showed up at our donation door this season .

Thank you, to everyone who donated!

Atkinson Elementary

Grace Lutheran Church

League of Women Voters

Immaculate Conception Catholic Church

First Baptist Church of Hendersonville

Henderson County Public Libraries "Crafty Hands" Project

Fox Run Preserve

The Orchards of Flat Rock

Joseph Laughter Clothiers, Laurel Park Village Shopping Center and WTZQ

Fletcher Elementary

Champion Hills Neighborhood

Mills River Presbyterian Church

Volunteers needed! We are currently needed volunteers for:

• File Manager on Tuesday morning’s 8:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
• Clothing Assistance on Wednesday afternoons 12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
• Clothing donation sorters on Thursday afternoons 12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Learn more about volunteering at www.iam-hc.org/volunteer-opportunities. Or contact Amy Lewis, Volunteer Coordinator at 828.697-7029 ext. 215 or email her at volunteer.manager@iam-hc.org.

Thank you for your care and support!

• $5,000 & up: Provide vital support for service programs: food, financial assistance with rent, utility bills and gasoline vouchers, clothing and linens, personal hygiene and cleaning items and more 
• $2,500: Purchase enough food to feed 100 adults and children for a week 
• $1,000: Provide the security deposit on a new apartment for a single mother struggling to keep her three young children safe, fed, and succeeding in school 
• $500: Pay an elderly veteran's utility bill to keep his lights on and the heat on when it’s freezing outside 
• $250: Purchase 25 cases of diapers for new mothers struggling to make ends meet 
• $100: Provide a “Back-to School” new clothing and shoes kit for three elementary students 
• $50: Provide bed linens for a family setting up their new apartment $25 Feed a neighbor in need for a week