IAM Holiday Dinner Food Drive: now through December 10th
Winter Clothing Drive: now through January 2022
Interfaith Assistance Ministry is hosting its fifth annual Holiday Food Drive to help ensure local residents in financial crisis can enjoy a holiday meal at home during the upcoming holiday season.
To help families and individuals struggling to keep food on the table, IAM is offering a full holiday meal in either November or December to assist Henderson County residents who cannot afford a traditional meal to celebrate Thanksgiving or Christmas. Food and financial donations for the food drive will be accepted through Friday, Dec. 10th. Holiday meals will be distributed to IAM neighbors in need who seek crisis services from Monday, Nov. 8 through Wednesday, Dec. 22.
“Interfaith Assistance Ministry is grateful for the support from our generous community that enables us to provide a complete holiday meal of turkey or ham and the traditional side dishes for families who cannot afford a holiday meal at home,” said Elizabeth Willson Moss, IAM Executive Director. “You can help by holding a food drive in your neighborhood, church, place of business or through a community group. And financial donations always help.”
As the days begin turning colder, the need for community donations of winter coats, blankets and warm clothing for all ages increases dramatically, Moss added.
“We are already running out of our supply of gently used and new winter coats,” Moss said.
Holiday foods and donations can be dropped off at IAM’s pantry drive-through door Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Please call Karol or Wally at 697-7029 to schedule a large pick-up of holiday foods. IAM is located at 300 Freeman St., Hendersonville, just off Four Seasons Boulevard.
In 2020, IAM provided more than 600 holiday meals to our neighbors in need and experienced an increase in crisis services of 91% compared to 2019. To help get food to hungry children and adults, IAM is continuing to offer its Drive-Thru Tuesday food distribution from 3 to 5:30 p.m. during the winter months. During Daylight Savings Time, the food distribution is open from 3 to 6 p.m.
Requests for food – traditional and Latino grocery orders – continue to grow, Moss said.
Donations needed for holiday meals include 6 to10 pound hams, 10 to 15 pound turkeys, turkey breasts, stuffing mix, gravy mix or canned gravy, sweet potatoes or canned yams, canned fruits, canned green beans, canned corn, small to medium bags of potatoes, mushroom soup, fried onions, pie crusts, canned pumpkin, evaporated milk, cranberry sauce, pie filling, cake mixes, icing, canned hominy and bags of tamales.
Interfaith Assistance Ministry, founded in 1984, is the largest provider of crisis services in Henderson County. The nonprofit provides crisis services including food, clothing, financial assistance with rent, utility bills, heating fuels, prescriptions, personal hygiene items, diapers, blankets and other linens, pet food and more. If you are interested in volunteering or making a donation to IAM, please visit our website at www.iam-hc.org or mail, call 697-7029 or mail an unrestricted check that can be used where its most needed to IAM, PO Box 2562, Hendersonville, NC, 28793.
