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Where to volunteer in Asheville
Volunteers with boxes of food for Manna Foodbank
MANNA FoodBank has been distributing food since 1983. | Photo courtesy of MANNA FoodBank
Maybe you have some extra time on your hands, or maybe you’re just in the giving spirit. All we know is there are more than enough great causes in AVL to support with your time. Whether you’re an animal lover, an artsy type, a natural mentor, or a healthcare enthusiast — there’s a nearby volunteer opportunity for you. Here are 40 ways to get involved in Asheville.

If you’re a mental health advocate

  • NAMI Western Carolina | Help out the local chapter of this national organization by assisting with advocacy, support, and administrative or fundraising tasks.
  • Light a Path | This initiative of the YWCA of Asheville offers yoga and wellness practices to under-served communities, including youth, the incarcerated, the unhoused, older adults, veterans, and those in recovery.
  • SeekHealing | Serve in one of the many volunteer opportunities available including the listening line, connection mission, or community aftercare program.
  • Sunrise Community for Recovery and Wellness | Help support people struggling with substance use and mental wellness challenges through fundraising and collecting outreach supplies.

For the handy individuals

  • Asheville Tool Library | Commit at least three months to training and you can assist this community-based lending library as a dedicated maintenance staff repair person, a tool inventory librarian, or with events like tool sales and tool sharpening days.
  • Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity | Sort donations in the ReStore, hammer nails on a construction site, or assist in the administrative office.
  • WNC Repair Cafe | Whether you’re a skilled seamstress or a general handyman, you can offer your skills to those in need with this Mills River-based organization.

If you’re an animal lover

  • Appalachian Wildlife Refuge | Help transport wildlife, operate the hotline, input animal care data, or get hands-on opportunities for animal care.
  • Wild Heart Farm Sanctuary | Work with the sanctuary animals or tend to the community garden.
  • Full Moon Farm Wolfdog Sanctuary | Support this Black Mountain-based nonprofit by transporting wolfdogs/wolves, fundraising, compound building, kennel cleaning, training, and helping with rehab activities.
  • Asheville Humane Society | Wash dishes, help with community outreach, assist with adoptions, help coordinate events, or take the shelter’s most energetic dogs on hikes.
  • Brother Wolf Animal Rescue | Help out at the thrift store or adoption center, transport pets, or take shelter dogs hiking.
28 MORE WAYS TO GIVE BACK
The causes I feel most passionate about are…


A. Arts and cultural institutions
B. People experiencing homelessness
C. Minority and disadvantaged groups
D. Pets and animals
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Tuesday, Nov. 29
  • No Man’s Land Film Festival | Tuesday, Nov. 29 | 6:15 p.m. | New Belgium Brewing, 21 Craven St., Asheville | Free | This premier all-women adventure film festival will share stories that inspire all of us to seek out adventure + fight to protect our mountains, forests, and rivers.
  • Nikki Lane | Tuesday, Nov. 29 | 8 p.m. | The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave., Asheville | $22 | Enjoy original contemporary outlaw country tunes with a feminine edge.
Wednesday, Nov. 30
  • Foodie Book Club | Wednesday, Nov. 30, Wednesday, Dec. 28 | 7 p.m. | Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe, 55 Haywood St., Asheville | Free | Get your fill of food writing with this club that brings local food writers together.
Thursday, Dec. 1
  • Day With(out) Art 2022 | Thursday, Dec. 1-Sunday, Dec. 4 | 11 a.m.-6 p.m. | Asheville Art Museum, 175 Biltmore Ave., Asheville | $15 | The Asheville Art Museum, Western North Carolina Aids Project (WNCAP), and Visual AIDS will stream seven videos from those that have been stigmatized due to HIV/AIDS for Day With(out) Art 2022.
  • Kudzu Culture Fair | Thursday, Dec. 1 | 3-7 p.m. | The Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center, 455 Research Dr., Mills River | Free | Join Kudzu Culture and Cooperate WNC to learn about the ways kudzu can be harvested for crafts.
  • Bible Belt Tour | Thursday, Dec. 1 | 7 p.m. | The Odditorium, 1045 Haywood Rd., Asheville | $10 | Enjoy an evening of fun with hip-swaying heathen Flamy Grant and Atlanta-based songstress Debra Lynn Rodriguez.
Friday, Dec. 2
  • Elf The Musical | Friday, Dec. 2 | 7:30 p.m. | Asheville Community Theatre, 35 E. Walnut St., Asheville | $18-$35 | The city’s longest-running playhouse brings beloved modern classic Elf to the main stage with “Elf The Musical” with jolly costumes, dancing, and tunes.
  • Southern Culture on the Skids | Friday, Dec. 2 | 8 p.m. | The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave., Asheville | $20 | Enjoy original Southern-fried rockabilly tunes from this Chapel Hill-based band that’s been touring the world since 1983.
Saturday, Dec. 3
  • Ugly Sweater Run | Saturday, Dec. 3 | 8:30 a.m. | The Riveter, 701 Old Fanning Bridge Rd., Asheville | Don your ugliest sweater for the second installment of this holiday 5K/10K event featuring post-race activities and sips from The Riveter.
We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.
100+ MORE EVENTS
6AM City In-house

Illuminate the holidays with the North Carolina Arboretum’s Winter Lights

Try This: Illuminate the holidays with the North Carolina Arboretum’s Winter Lights
Presented by an AVLtoday Partner
A unicorn made of colored lights
Who needs reindeer when you have a glorious unicorn? | Photo by AVLtoday
City Editor Brook here. 👋 With all the obligations and responsibilities the holidays bring, I’ll admit: I can be a bit of a grinch.

Yet after walking through Winter Lights, the North Carolina Aboretum’s annual open-air lights display, I was transformed and back in touch with a child-like sense of wonder.

The experience is a true feast for the senses — the air is full of holiday music and woodsmoke from the toasty fire pits. And thanks to the Cocoa Shack and Bent Creek Bistro, there’s also beer, wine, hot cocoa, and s’mores to warm up with. Most importantly, there are over 1 million dazzling lights draped across the Arboretum grounds.

Want to experience a festive, once-a-year event that makes you feel like a kid again? Here’s how you can Try This.

What we tried (with pricing):

We set out to see the rain-or-shine event at 6 p.m. on a brisk November night. Tickets (which start at $30 in advance + $40 at the gate) are sold on a per-vehicle basis with timed entry. Attendees can choose from three entry times: 6 p.m., 7 p.m., and 8 p.m.

Pro tip: As always, this is a walk-through event, so be sure to dress warmly.*
MORE BRIGHT LIGHTS THIS WAY

Weather
  • 55º | Partly cloudy | 8% chance of rain
Open
  • Shiloh & Gaines has opened in South Asheville at 700 Hendersonville Rd. The neighborhood coffee shop and pub offers live music, darts, pool, and food truck eats, including hot dogs from Bun It. See their hours of operation. 🍺
Cause
  • The three-day Ingles Magical Christmas Toy Drive begins Thursday., Dec. 1 from 5 a.m.-7 p.m. at Ingles (151 Smokey Park Hwy.), and continues through Dec. 2 from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. and Dec. 3 from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Donations are for new, unwrapped toys, books, and clothing. 🎁
Arts
  • The 21st annual Newsong Music Competition will take place Saturday, Dec. 3 at Citizen Vinyl (14 O. Henry Ave.) at 7 p.m. The event will feature eight finalists performing + competing for the grand prize of a fully funded six-song EP. Get tickets. 🎤
Development
  • A Tesla dealership and service center has been proposed for 291 Sweeten Creek Rd. at the former site of the Asheville Ballroom and Dance Centre. The next step? Developers will face review by the Technical Review Committee in December. If approved, this would be NC’s third Tesla dealership. (Asheville Citizen-Times)
Number
  • $56,900. That’s the average salary for an electrician in the US. MB HAYNES is currently hiring a Licensed Journeyman Electrician. Interested? See details + apply.💡 *
Ranked
  • No. 46. That’s the ranking that UNC Asheville recently earned on Princeton Review’s list of the Top 50 Green Colleges for 2023. Princeton Review evaluated 455 colleges + universities throughout the US to see how they’re going green (think: campus-wide sustainability programs, clean power, and solar-powered dorms). 🏅*
Health
  • Too sick to make it to the doctor’s office? Mercy Urgent Care offers telemedicine appointments to virtually treat common ailments and health issues — like sore throats, muscle pain, sprains, rashes, pink eye, the common cold + more. 🦠 *
Real Estate
  • Located in Black Mountain’s Sweet Birch Commons neighborhood on a large private lot that provides privacy, a large driveway + adjoins the wooded commons, this immaculate 3 BD, 4 BA townhome features a Magnolia floor plan and offers a main-level primary bedroom, a gas fireplace, and an EZ Breeze porch. See inside. 👀 *
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6AM City In-house

Experience Joy, a musical celebration of Christmas at Montreat College 🎄
Rows of choir singers and an orchestra playing at a Christmas Concert
Celebrate the beginning of the holiday season with the sounds of Christmas. | Photo provided by Montreat College
It’s time to get in the holiday spirit, Asheville. Montreat College will host its annual Christmas Concert in Anderson Auditorium on Sat., Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. The concert will feature the Montreat College Choir and Orchestra, made up of Montreat students + community members.

Bonus: As a gift to thank the community, admission to the concert is free. Stick around after the concert for a hot cocoa and holiday cookie reception. ✨ *
'TIS THE SEASON
THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Brook.

Editor’s pick: I’ve been eyeballing the exterior of Shiloh & Gaines for a while and now that it’s open, I can’t wait to check it out.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Get the scoop on the area’s best winter markets.
Connect with us.

Editorial: Laura Hackett, Brook Bolen, Sarah Leonhardt, Erin McPherson, Ashlea Hearn, Emily Shea | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

Sales: Helen Purnell | Advertise with us.

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