Get Connected ◇

Food Connection is an Asheville nonprofit that rescues surplus chef-prepared food from catering companies, conferences, events, restaurants and institutions, repacks it into meals and gets it to people who need it. It started at Dig Local and works to ease hunger and cut food waste across Buncombe County through direct meal service and partner agencies. Free weekly meal distributions run Tuesday through Saturday in Fairview, at the Food Lion on Charlotte Highway, and in Leicester, Candler, Weaverville and Swannanoa, with a no questions asked policy, so everyone is welcome.

Co-founder Flori Pate, who also co-founded Dig Local, puts it simply: no fresh food should end up in the trash while people go hungry. Asheville shelters and meal programs count on those rescued meals every week.

Food Connection

These are the local people who keep Asheville running, from rides and vets to nonprofits. [AVL Ride](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/723-avl-ride) has run taxis and car service around the clock since 2014, with vans that seat 15 for weddings and brewery tours. [All Pets Animal Hospital](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/2251-all-pets-animal-hospital) on Patton Avenue has cared for West Asheville pets since 1993, and [Asheville Cryotherapy and Recovery](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/3964-asheville-cryotherapy-and-recovery) on Merrimon Avenue is veteran owned. [Asheville Parks & Recreation](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/3370-asheville-parks-recreation) runs more than 50 city parks, plus community centers, pools and greenways. [Food Connection](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/839-food-connection), which started at Dig Local, rescues surplus chef-prepared food and turns it into free meals. For home and car, [The Organic Mechanic](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/33-the-organic-mechanic) on Haywood Road repairs cars with eco-conscious practices, and [MB Haynes](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1065-mb-haynes-corporation) has handled electrical, plumbing and heating work since 1921. [Asheville Barber Company](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/2110-asheville-barber-company) on Merrimon does fades and straight razor shaves, and [Envision Eyecare](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/2438-envision-eyecare) is just north of downtown on East Chestnut Street. [Mountain BizWorks](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1508-mountain-bizworks) lends to and coaches small businesses, and the [Asheville Humane Society](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/74-asheville-humane-society) is the county's open-admission shelter. Every spot below has hours, photos and directions.

Get Connected ◇

Nomadik Gridz ◇

Some favorite things that make Asheville like no other place on the planet.

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