In every circle of acquaintances, it is common to hear “I have never seen times like these.” In the spirit of the current national discussion, a small group is trying to identify needs unique to Ashe County.

We had asked our Department of Social Services Director if someone from her agency could come talk to us informally on a recent midday Saturday. The topic: how can we do it better? Brandi Legge and supervisor Karen Riddle work with fuel assistance and food; it is hard to imagine people more dedicated to their job than these two public servants. They told us stories from the front lines of this national drama that is playing out in our own community.

In December 2007, they had approximately 1100 ongoing food assistance cases. Last year saw a 19 percent increase in caseloads with one half of the year’s growth occurring from October through December 2008. Now many families finding themselves in need have had no previous experience with DSS.

The faces range from burly construction workers to factory workers to professionals—in the midst of layoffs or slowdowns in the workplace—or those on fixed incomes who find that the cost of living has increased so rapidly that their buying power is not sufficient to meet their needs. The cost of heating alone can easily consume the majority of a household’s income.

Across the spectrum of people who have been affected by the downturn in our economy, Brandi and Karen know that there are still many in need in our county who either have not or will not come in to ask for help. Their reasons are as diverse as our population. There has always been a tradition of pride in self-sufficiency among our mountain people. For many this may be the reason. For others it is as simple as a lack of transportation. Many who do come in say that they have waited as long as they possibly can and are on the verge of losing everything. The increase in need in our county has stretched the resources and staff of DSS. However, they know they are doing the job they are there to do and know that they are not just looking at numbers, they are looking at families and individuals no different from themselves.

As unemployment increases and the economy worsens, as we have been told it will, various local agencies are going to be overwhelmed. There is no doubt that the people of Ashe County will help their neighbors. There may be unusual opportunities to make a difference in these unusual times. Here are a few ideas that have surfaced in our discussion group.

There is a national organization called Hunters for the Hungry. There is a Hunters for the Hungry in North Carolina with an active chapter in Wake County, for example. Ashe County has a burgeoning deer population and reports are that complete carcasses lay wasted in Christmas tree fields. An Ashe Hunters for the Hungry could work with the existing network to feed the hungry.

Vegetable gardens are as important to our mountain culture as music and hunting. I have heard so many of our older folks say that during the Depression in the 1930s, they did not have store-bought goods, but they always had plenty to eat.

A strategy for this current economic crisis could be for folks to grow ten percent more than they need. It would be essential that some good organizers step up to plan for harvest and distribution. In our group discussions, the name of a program in Warrensville—Ashe Outreach Ministries—keeps coming up. (Andrea Brooks will be offering canning classes, as an additional example of their wonderful outreach efforts.) It would make sense to work through an existing structure like Ashe Outreach Ministries to distribute excess local garden produce but there is no way that group can do it without more helping hands.

Another idea that bubbled up during our discussion is the idea that many of these newly unemployed have skills that could be bartered for things they need. (Another common anecdote from the Depression era is how families would trade extra eggs for other things they needed.) Growers could trade specialty produce with other growers at the farmers markets on the Back Street in West Jefferson and at the Riverview Community Center. Perhaps this could further expand to include other bartering services.

There are many barter groups through Yahoo. There is currently a wnctradingpost.com site with a stated area including Ashe with 475 members. Any individual could start a Yahoo barter group just for Ashe County that could be used to benefit by a broad range of people, including families who have lost their jobs or are forced to take part-time jobs, etc. There might even be an entrepreneurial opportunity...

Another idea: Two weeks ago I was chatting with the supervisor of the dairy department during my weekly grocery shopping. He was checking dates and had a lot of items like cups of pudding in the cart. I knew they were being culled and I asked what was going to happen to them. He said they were being thrown away; some of them did not quite have expired dates but they wanted to prevent their customers from buying them and then by the time they were used then noticing they were out of date. I asked why such food couldn’t be given to the local food sharing center. He said they could not because of the risk. Isn’t there an opportunity here? There are hungry people and we throw away food because we are afraid they wouldn’t make a reasonable decision about its spoilage or there might be a lawsuit? Aren’t we collectively tired of solutions to problems being taken off the table by such modern-day hurdles?

Could someone please figure out a smart way to distribute at least some of this food? (Mothers, would you throw away a pudding that is one day out of date in your refrigerator? I wouldn’t. Especially if I was worried I didn’t have enough to feed my kids.)

Our group is exploring a weatherization effort spearheaded by Lynda McDaniel that would pay out-of-work construction workers to weatherize targeted homes, stretching the tax dollars and helping keep our families warm.

There is an ambitious job creation initiative called ACRE (Ashe County Renewable Energy) birthed by Ann Goss that will seek Obama administration stimulus funds. For more information, there is a presentation at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6AF21r-Ov8.

The new Rural Health Clinic at Ashe Memorial Hospital covered in a recent Jefferson Post article offers low cost coverage to underinsured people who cannot afford the regular cost of health care. The Ashe County Free Medical Clinic serves qualifying people who don’t have to pay by using volunteer medical professionals; the Ashe County Free Medical Clinic is funded entirely by grants and donations; they receive no government support. Karen and Brandi say that both clinics are critical health care options in view of the deterioration in family financial stability they are seeing.

Karen Riddle brought her bright-eyed twenty-something, Holly, to our discussion group. Holly spoke comfortably during our discussions from her youthful perspective and was excited about the idea of community activism. It struck me how much the events of the next few years might shape the person she will be. There are plenty of good ideas ready for boots on the ground. For all the people who are hurting right now, for all the people who will be hurt by the events of the coming months, for all the Holly’s, there has never been a better time to hook yourself to a good idea.

For more information about Hunters for the Hungry:

http://www.dixiedeerclassic.org/huntersforhungry.htm; also

Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry: http://www.fhfh.org/ChaptersState.asp?StateLookup=NC

For more information about Ashe Outreach Ministries, call Rob Brooks at 336-385-1314.

For more information about The Ashe County Sharing Center, call 846-7019.

For information about setting up a Yahoo group, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/

For more information about ACRE, call Ann Goss at 246-4493.

For more information about Ashe Free Medical Clinic, call 846-4649. The clinic is located at 105 E. Main St. Jefferson, NC 28640 (next to Jefferson United Methodist Church). Clinic hours are every Thursday, 6-9 PM.