Western Carolina Rescue Ministries

Western Carolina Rescue Ministries has operated for the past 43 years in Asheville, North Carolina, serving the homeless, addicted, and low-income populations all across the Western North Carolina. Our mission centers around providing Rescue, Recovery, and Restoration to the most vulnerable in our community.

On the night of September 26th, 2024, Buncombe County and the surrounding Western North Carolina region was hit with the catastrophic Hurricane Helene.

This event resulted in damage to the Buncombe County and Western North Carolina area that has been unprecedented for over a century. While the Ministry sustained minimal property damage, the surrounding disaster areas have caused the organization to dramatically increase capacity of meals served to local individuals. In addition, surrounding damages from the hurricane have resulted in the largest fundraiser for the Rescue Ministry to be immediately canceled, resulting in the organization operating at an extreme deficit. The Rescue Ministry is currently struggling to make payroll for Staff, along with paying for the water and power services the community is desperately relying on the organization for.

On a normal day, the Rescue Ministry serves about 120 residential clients and 250 meals to the public per day. Due to the disaster of Hurricane Helene and more people than ever seeking meals, these numbers are expected to increase to as many as 600 meals being served per day over the next month.

Currently, the only funding resources available are in the hands of the local community. The Rescue Ministry is not government-funded and has relied on the generosity of individuals, local businesses, private foundations, and corporations for the past 43 years. The reserves for the Rescue Ministry's budget have now been utilized and the organization is now operating on unprecedented deficit.

All funding raised through this platform will cover vital operational expenses over the next month for the Rescue Ministry to continue and increase its services to the community.