Dear Eblen Friends,
You may have seen the news that after 20 years of administering the LIEAP, CIP and EA programs on behalf of the Buncombe County Department of Health and Human Services, we are transitioning these 3 programs back to the County.
Our small staff, combined with some of the logistical challenges of being a subcontractor rather than a government agency, has made it difficult to keep up with the increased demand for these services from our neighbors. We believe that this transition will be the best choice for our county residents who need the assistance of these programs.
We have been honored to work with BCHHS over the years and have built strong relationships with so many of our community members and fellow nonprofit organizations through distributing these funds.
We know that this is a change for the community who are accustomed to coming to Eblen Charities to have their energy needs fulfilled. We expect this shift of services, once complete, will greatly benefit county residents in need, and we are assisting the County with the transition to make it as seamless as possible.
Eblen Charities is not going anywhere. We continue to offer our other services – like the upcoming Thanksgiving meal giveaway to 800 families, our annual St. Nicholas Toy Store for children and teens in our community, and our recent Winter clothing giveaway to over 1,600 people – to care for our neighbors living in and at the edge of poverty. We are actively helping with gasoline assistance to job interviews and medical appointments, and helping school age children have shoes and clothing.
Eblen Charities staff and Board of Directors will be working on the vision and direction of our work for the future, as we take this opportunity to assess needs in our community, and our work to solves crises for our neighbors. If you have thoughts about this, or questions about this announcement, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. And if you’d like to support our work, please consider making a donation at this link. As always, all funds will stay right here in our community, helping our neighbors through difficult times.
If you have thoughts and hopes about our work, please feel free to email me at [email protected] or call me at 828.255.3066.
Beth Russo
Executive Director