We had an early start to our morning, meeting in the Tactic room at 7am at the Aloft – Downtown Asheville, a McKibbon Hospitality property. We participated in a morning team builder, where we had to debate which was better: Pancakes or Waffles. What would be your choice and why?
Western Carolina Rescue Mission
This morning, one group of students had the opportunity to visit the Western Carolina Rescue Ministries in downtown Asheville. We started our morning off with a tour of the housing center, learning about the organization’s mission and dedication to helping individuals to recover through a structured Christ-centered program. During our tour, we saw firsthand how “The Mission” provides a safe and supportive environment for people on their journey to healing. One of the most impactful parts was visiting the housing for new mothers, where women and their babies can find resources and stability needed.
The mission of the organization is not just providing a shelter but to have a place where individuals recover and have full restoration, helping them to graduate the program with faith, hope, and purpose. After the tour, we headed over to their warehouse where they receive all of their donations. At the warehouse, we helped in their day-to-day operations beginning with sorting clothes and learning how to use a baler to tightly compact the clothes for storage or shipping. We also helped by organizing and packing supplies such as paper towels and toilet paper. Lastly, we helped in breaking down boxes and preparing them for storage.
Eliada Homes
Next, we arrived to Eliada Homes around 3pm. We worked in the garden, where one group shoveled compost into buckets, and the other group sprinkled it onto plants. Some of the plants were garlic, mint, tomatoes, flowers, and so many more. Each row of plants needed three buckets of compost. Some of us decompressed by frolicking in the hills of the campus. We took a tour of the campus, trying figs and learning about their cause. All the fruits, vegetables, and herbs grown at Eliada are prepared for meals the children on their campus eat.
All Hands and Hearts
Our second group started their mornings off with All Hands and Hearts– a disaster relief team powered by volunteers. All Hands and Hearts is helping the city of Asheville recover from the damages that Hurricane Helene left behind. We arrived at the base by 8 and packed lunches, helped prepare by loading heavy items into trucks , and gathered our PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). We split into three different groups and each went to different work sites. The first site is where Juliette and Kate sprayed hydrogen peroxide into a crawl space underneath a house and wiped it down to aid in mold remediation. Yasmina and Claire went to another site, where the moisture barrier needed replacement. Lead by Hamish and Francisco, we tore out the entire existing moisture barrier from the crawl space underneath the home, and replaced it with new plastic. Malia and Mary Grace helped finish moving the heavy items- and then took a 45 minute drive to a home that had flooded from the impacts of the hurricane. We ate lunch for an hour, then began with nailing drywall into the studs of the home. We cut drywall with the oscillator to fit it to uniquely sized places. We screwed it in with an impact drill. We met back with the other volunteers at the end of the day, and got to be a part of their “4:30 meeting” where we discussed our days and felt very welcome.
Wrapping Up
All groups met back at the hotel for the end of the day. We went to Daddy Mac’s for dinner where we got absolutely slammed in trivia – with all of our teams scoring a whopping 0 points after wagering it all for the final question. We celebrated Gabby’s 17th birthday with a brownie ice cream skillet and ended the night at Sunshine Sammies – even more ice cream! We ended our night right where we started: the Tactic room. Where we are writing this blog, while some groups do other assignments. We feel enlightened and humbled by our experiences today, working outside of our comfort zone and helping a community outside our own.
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