Swannanoa non-profit, Beacon Foundation, has made it’s first contribution to local organization, Bounty & Soul. Bounty & Soul, another WNC non-profit, works to provide individuals with access to fresh produce and nutritional education.
Beacon Foundation’s contribution to Bounty & Soul is the first step on a long journey to providing support to the Swannanoa community, but is not a first for the two organizations to work together.
Founders from both Beacon Foundation and Bounty & Soul are both from the local community and have an established working relationship after years of collaboration.
Through this $100k donation, Beacon Foundation can help ensure more food security to our neighbors during a time when so much else is unsure. Proceeds to Bounty & Soul at this time are going toward providing Black Mountain and the Swannanoa Valley with hot meals and produce.
With this money, Bounty & Soul can also help local farmers who lost crops during Helene, which will help to feed a malnourished and poverty stricken community.
Swannanoa is an unincorporated town that does not have the same degree of connectivity that can be found in cities only 11 miles away, like Asheville, NC.
So, not only is this community facing the overwhelming destruction left by Helene, but it also relies on broadly offered county services that can’t always meet the unique needs of the valley.
A part of Beacon Foundation’s mission is to address that lack of connective tissue in the Swannanoa Valley by creating a coalition of support through local efforts to meet local needs.“You don’t know what people really need and want until you hear it first hand.” said Ali Casparian, Executive Director and Founder of Bounty & Soul, highlighting the unique perspective of being a local non-profit helping their own community.
“I’ve never witnessed a more resilient community.” Casparian continued, speaking to the morale of the Swannanoa Valley in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
To learn more about this update, check out our full press release here.
Be sure to stay tuned and learn what’s next for Beacon Foundation as we continue to share stories of growth and restoration for the Swannanoa Valley.
