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Second Annual Coaches’ Invitational Golf Tournament set for May 8 & 9, Organized by High Country Caregivers

March 7, 2023 This Spring Coach Jerry Moore will be hosting the second annual coaches’ invitational golf tournament, organized by High Country Caregivers. HCC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to supporting families who face the struggles of kinship care. Most commonly, High Country Caregivers assist grandparents raising grandchildren. All proceeds of this tournament will go towards HCC programs, including recreation & sports fees, dance & music lessons, legal fees, education, and family development.

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Watauga High School Athletes For Good Provide 1317 Pounds of Food for Casting Bread

December 9, 2022 BOONE, NC – As the first semester of the 2022-2023 academic year comes to an end at Watauga High School many students are focused on Christmas vacations, planning spring trip adventures, and finishing up classes with the hopes of sneaking out a B when they probably have earned a C. This was not the focus of students involved with Watauga High School’s Athletes for Good (AFG). These students held a food drive to increase food security in the High Country. They collected food donations from students, teachers, staff, and administrators.

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The 2022 Festival of Trees was a “WYN win”

December 9, 2022 Boone, NC — Beginning in mid-November, brightly decorated Christmas trees and wreaths began appearing across the High Country as part of the eighth annual Western Youth Network (WYN) annual Festival of Trees. Displayed in area restaurants, retail shops, hotels, medical offices and recreation centers, more than 100 trees and wreaths were available for bidders to purchase through an online auction.

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Crossnore Communities for Children Announces the “Move Conference,” a Meeting for Combating the Crisis of Youth Aging Out of Foster Care in NC

December 1, 2022 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Crossnore Communities for Children is pleased to announce The MOVE Conference, a crucial gathering of pastors and church leaders about the crisis of youth aging out of foster care in North Carolina. The conference will be held on Thursday, February 16, 2023 at Woosley Chapel on Crossnore’s Winston-Salem campus. North Carolina has more than 16,000 children and youth in the child welfare system, with hundreds aging out of the system each year. The MOVE Conference will provide churches with the knowledge, tools, and evidence-driven Open Table model to move a generation of youth aging out of foster care from the risk of poverty to the reality of economic mobility.

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Western Youth Network’s Festival of Trees brings Hot Chocolate Social to Watauga Rec Center

December 1, 2022 It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the High Country. More than 70 holiday-themed wreaths were on display, and up for auction, at the Hot Chocolate Social Wednesday night at the Watauga Recreation Center. The Speckled Trout Restaurant and Speckled Trout Outfitters sponsored the Hot Chocolate Social.  “We support WYN because of its direct impact on our immediate community,” said Erica Brinker, one of the owners of Speckled Trout. “Children are the foundation, and we have to start there. We feel very fortunate to be able to touch the lives of youth in our community.”  By Kris Testori

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No Hunger For The Holidays

November 21, 2022  This Thanksgiving season, the High Country Food Hub and the Local Food as Medicine (LocalFAM) program partnered with Grow Watauga to help our neighbors put local goodness on the menu for more than 125 families in Watauga County! ​ Over $6500 in donations were collected from Food Hub customers, generously matched by Grow Watauga. Funds were used to purchase fresh produce grown by local farmers, as well as turkeys and stuffing supplied by our friends at Publix.

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W.A.M.Y. Community Action asking for donations for the fourth annual Santa for Seniors gift drive

November 21, 2022  HIGH COUNTRY — W.A.M.Y. Community Action is asking people to donate gifts to help spread holiday cheer to senior citizens who are homebound, staying in assisted living or hospice care for WAMY’s fourth annual Santa for Seniors gift drive. In 2021, WAMY (Watauga, Avery, Mitchell, Yancey) delivered more than 900 holiday gift bags to senior citizens through the Santa for Seniors project. With hopes of exceeding last year’s goal, WAMY needs the help of community members more than ever.

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Next MANNA FoodBank Community Market to be held at the Old Rock Gym in Newland on Thursday, December 8th

November 16, 2022 One of the most beneficial entities for the needy is the MANNA FoodBank Community Market.  For more than four years, it has done monthly food giveaways in Avery County. Its next Community Market there will be held on Thursday, December 8th at the Old Rock School Gymnasium in Newland. The gymnasium is located at 185 Shady Street and is adjacent to Newland Elementary School. Anyone or any family struggling financially to afford groceries is not only welcome, but urged to come by the Community Market for totally free grocery staples, fresh produce and perishable items courtesy of the MANNA FoodBank. By Tim Gardner

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F.A.R.M. Cafe Announces Reorganization to Launch Second Decade of Fighting Food Insecurity in the High Country

October 7, 2022 In 2022, F.A.R.M. Cafe celebrated its tenth anniversary of serving in the High Country by hosting various fundraisers, screening a documentary produced by Beth Davison, and continuing the mission of “feeding all regardless of means.” The purpose of F.A.R.M. Cafe has always been to address the needs of food insecurity while also providing a space where community is created. Executive Director Renee Boughman and the F.A.R.M. Cafe Board of Directors have worked to insure the continued success and commitment of the organization to its mission.

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Peabody’s Beer and Wine to Greet High Country Beer Fest with a Week of Tastings August 22 – 25

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Aug. 3, 2017. If you’re a beer or wine lover of the High Country and you haven’t stopped by Peabody’s for one of its weekly tastings, you’re truly missing out. But there’s never been a better time to make your first visit — or return as a Peabody’s regular — than this August. In addition to holding tastings each Tuesday and Saturday this month, Peabody’s Beer & Wine Merchants is gearing up for a week-long series of tastings in celebration of this year’s High Country Beer Fest, which is set for Saturday, August 26 at the High Country Fairgrounds. By Bailey Faulkner

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SATURDAY: A Cause to Rock Charity Show Raises Funds for Student-Athlete Darryl Gaines at The Local

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July 21, 2017. For many, a daylong, 13-act concert is all it takes to wipe the calendar clean for a Saturday afternoon and evening. Luckily for music lovers of the High Country, The Local’s Saturday, July 22 show will be much more than that. Boone native and musician Brian Russell Collins will host his yearly charity event A Cause to Rock at the downtown Boone venue to help raise money for Winston-Salem’s Darryl Gaines, a North Forsyth High School student-athlete and recent graduate diagnosed with stage III lymphoma. Collins founded A Cause to Rock in 2015, focusing the first annual event on raising money for Wilmington community members with autism and their families. By Bailey Faulkner

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Vidalia Restaurant & Wine Bar to Hold F.A.R.M. Cafe Wine Dinner Fundraiser Monday, June 19

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June 1, 2017. Vidalia Restaurant & Wine Bar will offer the High Country a perfect opportunity to enjoy fine dining and wine while helping a great local cause on Monday, June 19. The Boone-favorite “upscale casual restaurant” is holding a dinner and fundraiser in support of its King Street neighbor F.A.R.M. Cafe, a non-profit restaurant that feeds its diners on a “pay-what-you-can” basis. By Bailey Faulkner

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Inaugural High Country Toast Celebrates Local Food, Drink and Attractions June 23-24

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June 6, 2017. The Boone Area Chamber of Commerce and Boone Sunrise Rotary Club have teamed up to host a two-day celebration of the High Country’s most popular restaurants and businesses. The inaugural High Country Toast, a “local showcase of food, drink, and attractions that will entertain visitors and locals alike,” is slated for Friday, June 23 at the Jones House in downtown Boone and Saturday, June 24 at Appalachian Ski Mountain. By Bailey Faulkner

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Blue Ridge Conservancy Hosts 17th Annual Wine and Beer Tasting, Auction June 7

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May 9, 2017. Blue Ridge Conservancy (BRC) will host its 17th annual Wine/Beer Tasting & Auction on Wednesday, June 7 from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at a new location, the Blowing Rock American Legion. The Wine/Beer Tasting & Auction celebrates local businesses and the community. In keeping with a nearly 17-year tradition, owners Ken and Wendy Gordon of The Gamekeeper will once again prepare creative and original Southern food. Photo Courtesy of Blue Ridge Conservancy

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Women’s Fund of the Blue Ridge Holds Grantee Luncheon at Blowing Rock Conference Center

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April 20, 2017. It was a time for talking, a time for tears, a time for thanks. The Women’s Fund of the Blue Ridge held its 2017 Grantee Luncheon at the Blowing Rock Conference Center on Wednesday. The annual event, sponsored this year by the LifeStore Bank in Boone, brought together the board and members of the Women’s Fund with various non-profit agencies benefitting from grants provided by the Fund. Story & Photos By Jan Todd

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ASU Global Medical Training Chapter Teams with Santa’s Toy Box, Donates to High Country Children

Jan. 30, 2017. ASU’s Global Medical Training Chapter Teams with Santa’s Toy Box to donate to Children in the High Country.Santa’s Toy Box is a local non-profit organization that provides toys to families in Watauga County that don’t have the means to purchase toys for Christmas. Santa’s Toy Box was able to help over 800 less fortunate children in Watauga County have a Merry Christmas.

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High Country Taproom and Dog Bar to Host K-9 Keg Pull for Partners! Canines on Jan. 21

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Jan. 13, 2017. Registered doggy participants will be categorized by size and weight and will race in one-on-one heats pulling appropriately sized empty kegs (even cans for the tiniest racers). They’ll run the enclosed course on a leash with their owners, some pulling their cargo on sleds for easy travel. All proceeds from the day will directly support Partners! Canines. By Jessica Isaacs.

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Longtime Local Media Representative Sherrie Norris Joins High Country Caregiver Foundation

Jan. 19, 2017. Executive director of the High Country Caregiver Foundation Brenda Reece has announced that longtime media representative Sherrie Norris has joined the HCCGF as RAPP coordinator and program assistant. “Few people have the depth of community knowledge and passion for others as does Sherrie Norris,” said Reece. “We recognize her strengths and abilities and are delighted that she has agreed to join us as we work to expand RAPP and build upon our existing programs.”

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Plan to Eat at F.A.R.M. Café on Jan. 25 When Boone Drug Will Be There to ‘Buy Boone Lunch’

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Jan. 12, 2017. On Wednesday January 25 between 11am and 2pm everyone is welcome to F.A.R.M (Feed All Regardless of Means) Café at 617 West King Street for another ‘Buy Boone Lunch’ day. Boone Dug is the second company to participate in this opportunity. Just like each day at F.A.R.M Café guests can donate what they are able to for a great lunch. On this day, Boone Drug will cover the cost of the meal through a generous donation. Each and every additional donation will be utilized by the café in its mission to fight insecurity in the High Country.

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Point In Time Count to Document Homelessness in the High Country for HUD on Jan. 25

Jan. 12, 2017. The information from the PIT Count provides a valuable snapshot of the state and extent of homelessness in our region and informs support service providers on the priorities to prevent and end homelessness. The Point in Time Count is a requirement of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, which currently supports the Northwest Continuum of Care member agencies with $287,000.

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Green Street Catering News: Food Ministry Reflects on 2016, Ready for a New Year

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Jan. 5, 2017. As Green Street serves so many and in so many different ways throughout the year, we incur monthly costs in addition to our food costs. We could really use your help in 2017! Each month, Green Street has costs from paper products (takeout boxes, serving trays and even supplies to package scriptures and meals each week), electricity to run our donation coolers, freezers and warmers and even to support volunteer programs with others who help us with cleaning/preparing/delivering meals each week.

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