Givens Estates began its partnership with 12 Baskets Cafe in February of 2018. Since then, Dining Services has made dozens of donations of leftover food which we could not utilize. Due to limited storage space and the format of our menus, it is not unusual for us to have leftover food. Most of the food which we cook must be used or discarded within seven days of the date of preparation. Food items can range from roasted pork loin to mashed potatoes and anything in between.

Kacia Stuart, Grab & Go Cook, has taken over much of the responsibility of packaging the leftover food and coordinating pick up with Mr. Lowery and Ms. Alice Petersen. Our culinary operation makes, on average, one to two donations per month. These monthly donations help 12 Baskets Café serve over one-hundred people per day, five days a week. Givens Estates is excited to have the opportunity to aid the Asheville Poverty Initiative in feeding our community and we look forward to continuing our partnership with 12 Baskets Cafe for years to come.