Find a cause, and a way to act on it

Clear, data-driven profiles of the local groups working to end housing and food insecurity.

Pick what matters to you and take one step today. Donate, volunteer, or explore the background research.

Nine organizations, 45 reads, and every figure sourced on the research page.

Live count 25,250 Buncombe residents are still on SNAP, down from 35,771 in 2022. The 2025 law rewrote who qualifies and who pays. The SNAP Rewrite, five reads →

200,000+

Monthly visits to the region's food pantries. More than 120,000 of our neighbors face food insecurity, and Helene pushed thousands more out of stable housing.

MANNA FoodBank, 2026 · sources on the research page

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Start here · Housing How to Think About Homelessness Six short essays · the place to begin Start here · Food How to Think About Food Insecurity Five short pieces · the place to begin

The WNC Desk

Behind the headlines

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North Carolina What the 2026 legislature did on homelessness North Carolina What the new state budget does for Western North Carolina Buncombe County What the county funds for housing and food, and what it turns away