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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.
• SeekHealing | Serve in one of the many volunteer opportunities available including the listening line, connection mission, or community aftercare program.

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.
• 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.

Supporters of veterans

• ABCCM | Help serve the community through crisis services, veterans’ services, food preparation and serving, medical ministry, and administrative tasks.
• Equinox Ranch | Help build housing for combat veterans learning coping strategies to integrate into their everyday lives at this riverfront ranch in nearby Cullowhee.

For the outdoorsy types

• Asheville GreenWorks | Help with stream and river cleanup, roadside cleanup, special events, and more.
• MountainTrue | Support clean water and air and healthy forests by assisting with river and forest keeping, public lands restoration and maintenance, and invasive species control.

If you want to help your neighbors in need

• PubCorps | Pack meals for families experiencing food insecurity at its Sunday Brunch events.
• Bounty & Soul | Sort vegetables, curate produce boxes, garden, help with weekly drive-thru markets, and more.

If you live and breathe Asheville

• Asheville FM | Support this independent community radio station with fundraising, events, and outreach.
• Hood Huggers | Help out in the Peace Gardens, donate time and knowledge, and assist with special events, including the annual Day of Service on MLK Jr. Day.

• Intro to Rhythm and Drumming | Wednesday, June 21 | 4-5 p.m. | Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St., Asheville | Free | Find the beat of your own drum and learn the foundations of rhythm at this guided session.

• The Novels of Wilma Dykeman | Thursday, June 22 | 7-8 p.m. | West Asheville Library, 942 Haywood Rd., Asheville | Free | Celebrate the author’s work with a talk by her son, Jim Stokely, on the novel “The Far Family.”
• Public Tour: Intersections in American Art | Thursday, June 22 | 6-7 p.m. | Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square., Asheville | Free | Join museum educators for a tour of the exhibit in SECU Collection Hall.

• Faun Fables + Toybox Theatre | Friday, June 23 | 8 p.m. | Girl and Goblin, 375 Depot St. #201, Asheville | $20 | Join the folk rock storytellers for a one-of-a-kind evening of music and puppetry.
• 80s vs 90s Dance Party | Friday, June 23 | 9 p.m. | The Orange Peel, 101 Biltmore Ave., Asheville | $12-$15 | Get your groove on with sets from DJ Molly Parti and DJ Oso Rey to see which decade’s tunes reign supreme.

• Repticon Asheville | Saturday, June 24-Sunday, June 25 | Times vary | Western North Carolina Agricultural Center Expo Building, 775 New Airport Rd., Fletcher | $5-$10 | Get up close and personal with live reptiles at this two-day event.
• Plant a Pollinator Garden | Saturday, June 24 | 10-11:30 a.m. | Reems Creek Nursery, 76 Monticello Rd., Weaverville | Free | Create a beautiful habitat for pollinators at this workshop — registration is encouraged.

• Finance Workshops for Creative Entrepreneurs | Thursday, June 29-Friday, June 30 | 2-4 p.m. | Virtual, Asheville | $10 | Creative entrepreneurs are invited to this 2-day virtual workshop to get their biz questions answered about taxes, bookkeeping, sole proprietorship, growth, profit + more.*

• The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch for Buncombe County through Thursday, June 22. Eastern parts of the county are at the highest risk, with six to eight inches of rain expected for the area. (Asheville Citizen-Times)

• Asheville is a recipient of the latest round of grant funding from the Mellon Foundation. Funds will be used to revamp Pack Square Park to reflect the city’s multicultural background. It includes support for Boosting the Block, an effort connecting the redesigned Pack Square with the Block, a historic district of Black businesses.

• The Comedy Zone is slated to open in Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort. The venue will host comedians from Wednesday through Sunday at 7 p.m. each week. The laughs will kick off with a set from Andy Forrester and special guest Jason Allen King on Thursday, July 6.

• Juicy Lucy’s Burger Bar and Grill nabbed the number 48 spot in Yelp’s list of 2023 Top 100 Burgers Spots in America. The casual joint takes its name from the delectable style of cheese-stuffed patties. (Asheville Citizen-Times)

• The Story Parlor announced Shunyu Huang as its next artist-in-residence, creating a three-part “Memory Quilt” project. Shunyu will share art and stories on the last three Thursdays of July, focusing on memories rooted in the five senses.

• Alina Celeste and Mi Amigo Hamlet will host the interactive event, Being Bilingual Rocks!, immersing kiddos in a blend of cultures, sounds, and language. See the show on Friday, July 7 at 10:30 a.m. at at the Skyland/South Buncombe Library and at 2 p.m. at the West Asheville Library.

• Mission Health will soon open the Sweeten Creek Mental Health and Wellness Center to treat a wide range of conditions for pediatric through geriatric patients. The new facility will feature a therapy gymnasium, music therapy, art therapy, outdoor recreation space, gardening, and more on a 26-acre property. Learn more + see services.*

• Work smarter, not harder, by hiring an investment advisor. These are the top five firms in the US.*

• It’s officially summer. To celebrate, shop our online store (Six & Main), where you’ll find many summer essentials such as new patio furniture by Palmetto Craft and delicious cocktail mixers by Simple Time Mixers. Now, that’s how you start the summer.

• Bring the scoop shop to you with the Ninja CREAMi Ice Cream Maker. Use it to make everything from ice creams to milkshakes, smoothie bowls, and sorbets.

• Wanna save 40-90% on flights? Sign up for Going — a free travel membership — and you can browse deals immediately (like a $300+ round trip to Barcelona).

• A crushable summer beverage that won’t leave you with a hangover the next day? Try Ritual Zero Proof’s All Day Margarita made with alcohol-free tequila.

• The perfect outdoor string lights do exist, and they’ve got a secret weapon: solar power. Light up your yard with a 50-ft strand.