We at Bounty & Soul want to offer our sincere gratitude to the Swannanoa Welcome Table for offering us a generous community grant to continue the vital work of providing food to our neighbors in the Swannanoa Valley and beyond. Our hearts are heavy with the news that the Swannanoa Welcome Table is closing, but we know the legacy of love lives on in the hearts of those that brought this to our community, and in the hearts of those fed and supported by the ministry’s work. Here is a letter from our dear friends at the Swannanoa Welcome Table that we wanted to share, with all our love and gratitude.
SWANNANOA WELCOME TABLE CLOSES AND DISPERSES SUBSTANTIAL GRANTS TO SIMILAR ORGANIZATIONS
The Swannanoa Welcome Table, Inc., born in December 2003, has closed its ministry. It began as a direct response to the catastrophic fire which destroyed the former Beacon Blanket plant, sending many in the community to seek shelter, refuge and support. The Swannanoa United Methodist Church, directly across the street from the plant, responded rapidly in providing a free meal, solace, and encouragement to the displaced neighbors.
A small number of the church women provided the simple meal, which they called Soup In The Valley, and decided to make it a weekly event to serve the disadvantaged, homeless, handicapped, and others in need of socialization. In 2008, the name was changed to Swannanoa Welcome Table, Inc. Services were added, including legal assistance, wellness
checks, a food pantry, and a medical equipment loan closet. At its peak, nearly 150 persons came for the weekly free, hot meal, served by over 50 volunteers from the valley.
Contributions came from weekly guests, former church members and community organizations to maintain and grow the ministry. The United Methodist Church took the model SWT developed to start new Welcome Tables in WNC, now numbering over a dozen, including Open Table in Black Mountain United Methodist Church.
The Covid 19 pandemic in March 2020 necessitated the temporary closure of the ministry, but other unforeseen events brought about its ending. In 2020 the WNC Conference of The United Methodist Church closed the Swannanoa congregation and took control of the property. In 2021, the WNC Conference sold the property, necessitating the SWT to remove its equipment and vacate the property.
A fervent search for a new home proved unsuccessful, so the board decided to close the ministry, whose “season had ended” (Ecclesiastes 3”1). The significant resources were seen as God’s bounty, which needed to continue SWT’s ministry elsewhere. Therefore, the considerable amount of kitchen equipment, cooling pots, numerous appliances, storage shelves, chairs, tables, and supplies were donated to McDowell Mission Ministries’ homeless shelters in Marion, Open Table in Black Mountain, and Sandy Mush Community Center in western Buncombe County. The board sees Sandy Mush Community Center, in partnership with Big Sandy United Methodist Church, as in keeping with SWT’s mission to serve an underserved Buncombe County community.
The board of Swannanoa Welcome Table at its closure was composed of Rev. Lisa Beth Ackerman, Luci Bickers, Terry Hall, Rev. Bill Henderson, Judy Keels, Rev. Robert Randolph, Jann Walker, and Cheryl Wilson. Hundreds of volunteers made the ministry happen over its many years. The board gives special gratitude to three individuals whose time, love, and resources were especially a blessing; Jackie Kitchen, Ken Lanter, and Pat Russell. The spirit of love and compassion for people in need continues through the above named organizations, who exemplify Jesus’ call to service in Matthew 25,
By Rev. Robert M. Randolph, board Chair, Swannanoa Welcome Table, Inc. Swannanoa, NC September26, 2022.