This Thursday and Friday (March 23rd and 24th), local Wells Fargo volunteers will work on a community project in the Shiloh Community Garden, in partnership with Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity (AAHH). The media is invited to stop by and meet/interview the volunteers and take photos. During lunch on Friday (around noon), there will be a check presentation.
Work will include building a fence on property donated by Asheville Habitat, making repairs to the garden’s pavilion, garden shed, outdoor oven, and trellis, and building a covered shelter for a new mural created by area residents and depicting the history of the Shiloh community. These volunteer workdays are part of a $250,000 grant for Neighborhood Revitalization provided by the Wells Fargo Foundation to select local Habitat affiliates across the nation, including Asheville Area Habitat ($22,500).
“Because Asheville Habitat has been active in the Shiloh community for years and built strong relationships there, we are often invited to partner on projects. Thanks to this grant and the volunteer component, we were in the position to collaborate with the Shiloh Community Association on this community initiative when it arose,” noted Andy Barnett, Asheville Habitat’s Executive Director. Currently, the organization is building 10 new affordable houses in the Shiloh community while continuing to repair existing homes for low-income homeowners there.
The partnership with the Wells Fargo Foundation and local Wells Fargo volunteers from area banks will support the goals of the Shiloh Community Association laid out in the Shiloh Community Plan 2025 and approved by Asheville City Council in 2010. Asheville Habitat began building affordable houses in Shiloh more than 20 years ago, and to date has completed 47 new affordable homes and repaired over 40 homes there. AAHH previously collaborated with the Community Association to build a storage shed and raised garden beds in the Shiloh Community Garden, as well as bring electric service to the garden and pavilion. Asheville Habitat donated land behind the garden to the Community Association where residents of the neighborhood have planted a small orchard. With the help of the Wells Fargo funding and volunteers, work will continue in the garden to provide beauty, recreation, food and education to the whole neighborhood.
“Wells Fargo has been a strong partner with Asheville Habitat for many years. We are proud to leverage our skills and work alongside others with different proficiencies to collectively address needs that go well beyond housing and support vibrant neighborhoods,” Barnett said.