Ashe Outreach Ministries provides food from a community of efforts. Families take home vital groceries, shut-ins enjoy a respite from loneliness while receiving a hot meal, folks gather for communal meals and fellowship, and elementary-age children bring home food for the weekend all part of a community-wide effort to eliminate food insecurities, address child nutrition and extend the hand of God to others.

Programs Include: 

Mobile Meals: Ashe Outreach Ministries (AOM) sends out about 85 mobile meals per day, every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for a total of 1275 meals per month to elderly shut-ins and those recovering from medical procedures. AOM has five delivery routes that cover the west and northwest parts of Ashe County. Additionally, they provide 15-20 meals-to-go via their food pantry Tues, Wed, & Thurs that are absolutely free to anyone who needs them, no questions asked.

Some ways to help out with mobile meals include:

• Assist with food prep and packaging

• Take on a delivery route as a primary or backup driver

• Be a kitchen helper by washing dishes to provide a steady supply of clean pans, pots, bowls, and utensils

• Join the cleanup crew to ensure sanitation and cleanliness – it is essential to maintain a clean environment to ensure food safety and quality

Backpack Program: AOM is linked to the neighboring Blue Ridge Elementary School to provide nutritious backpacks of food to approximately 120 children to take home every week to ensure they have sufficient, nutritious food each weekend. AOM also provides 12 meals to homeschool families in our community. Combined, this adds up to 660 meals provided to school aged children per month.

Pantry: On average, AOM's on-site pantry provides nutritious groceries to about 550 individuals per month. Individuals are allowed to pick-up food only once per month, but the pantry is open every Tuesday through Thursday to ensure all in need can pick up their food when convenient. Picking up food from other pantries in the county does not disqualify clients from picking up from other pantries in the same month. AOM does ask clients questions about the number of members in their household and their income due to requirements of some government food assistance programs.

Some ways to help out with the pantry include:

• Assist in unloading the pantry truck

• Sort and pack food

• Greet and assist clients with pre-loaded food carts

• Perform light cleaning tasks (sweeping, dusting)

Fish Fry: "We believe that giving should be an expression of love and gratitude. That is why we put our hearts into giving our donors good food and a great experience at our fish fry fundraisers. Join us for  an evening of social connection and leave with a full heart and tummy!"

Some ways to help out with the Fish Fry include: 

• Take food orders in person or over the phone

• Cook and plate food

• Serve drinks

• Deliver food trays to customer tables

• Clean tables between parties