Category Archives: Newsletter

Thanksgiving Potluck
Here we are headed into our Holiday Season! This will be our last newsletter of the year. Of course we plan to have our Thanksgiving Community Dinner here on November 19th at Six PM. Once again our Center will be providing the turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, rolls and ham. Community Members are asked to bring the sides and desserts. This is usually our most attended event of the year. We hope to see everyone there. There will also be a brief annual business meeting.

Due to the all the personal commitments we have during this Holiday Season, we will have no Community Dinner in December. Enjoy your family and we will see you at our January 2025 Community Dinner on January 21, 2025 at Six PM.  Wishing each of you a most blessed Holiday Season and the happiest and healthiest of New Years!!

Food Pantries
We are pleased to inform you that we will once again be having a Food Pantry at our Community Center. Manna’s headquarter in Asheville was destroyed by Hurricane Helene. As a result of that our earlier Food Pantries of the month had to be canceled. Manna has a new facility and they are up and running. Our October pantry was held on Thursday, October 31st from 11Am-1PM. We had an abundance of food provided by Matt’s Ministry. We had 38 people attend and they selected food for 92 family members.

Our next Food Pantry hosted by Clay County Food Pantry is scheduled for Thursday November 14th from 11am-1pm. The second one of the month was on Thanksgiving Day. Matt’s Ministry, who will be hosting it, has been able to make arrangements that it be held one day earlier. It will be held on WEDNESDAY, November 27th from 11am-1pm,

In Memoriam
It is with a heavy heart that I share with you the passing of our custodian at the Brasstown Community Center. Charles “Charlie” Anthony Allison passed away on October 24th. As a result of his passing please note that the Community Center will remain closed. Due to issues we were experiencing at the center, it was only opened to the public from 8am-12 pm, when our Custodian was present. It will now remain closed until further notice. This in no way interferes with rentals. They will be conducted just as they had been in the past.

Hurricane Helene Victims
As we celebrate this season, please remember all the victims of Hurricane Helene. There are so many people in Western North Carolina who will be celebrating this Thanksgiving without their homes. I am grateful for all the people who have generously offered their assistance to these people who have lost so much. Please keep them in your prayers. Their lives have changed so drastically as a result of this storm.

May your holiday season be truly blessed!

Your Crier,
Linda Snyder

HAPPY FALL YA’LL!!

This is such a beautiful time here in the mountains and there is much happening about us. Hope you all get to enjoy the various festivities and events of this time of the year. The Fall Festival will be taking place on October 5th and 6th at the Folk School. The Pumpkin Chunkin sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce will be held the weekend of October 19th and 20th at 811 Settawig Road in Brasstown. Of course later in the month we will be having all those ghosts and ghouls visiting our homes!

Monthly Community Dinner

Our September Community Dinner was very well attended. We had over 60 folks joining us for dinner. The Folk School had a raffle to win two tickets for free admission to their Fall Festival, which were won by Alice Patterson. It was a most pleasant evening. My only complaint is that it seems to end too quickly.

This month our community dinner will be held on October 17th at 6:00 pm. Please pack up your family and your favorite dish or dessert and join us for a time of visiting and eating. Its always nice to see our friends and neighbors and enjoy the good food. Its at times like this that community means so very much to us!

Next month in lieu of our regular monthly community dinner, we will be having our Annual Thanksgiving Dinner,  November 19th, at 6:00 pm. The Community Center will supply the turkey, stuffing, gravy, ham and we are asking the community members to bring your favorite Thanksgiving sides or desserts. This event is usually well attended. Looking forward to this special dinner!!

In addition to all the food, we will also be holding our annual business meeting and will elect a slate of officers for the upcoming 2025 year. In addition we will select a winning ticket for this years beautiful quilt. (You do not have to be present to win). We hope to see you all there for a scrumptious dinner and pleasant evening visiting with your neighbors. As a group of people we have so very much to be thankful for!

Due to the vigor’s of the Holiday Season we will have no community dinner in December. Folks are usually very busy with their own Christmas Holiday!

Food Pantry

Our September Pantries were well attended. On September 5, 2024 we had our first monthly Pantry hosted by Matt’s Ministry. We had some 51 community members attend and they selected food for 120 family members. The following community members volunteered to assist in the pantry: Charlotte Majercik, Gary Majercik, Paulette Tonielli, Hoyt Zimmerman, Larry Shoeman, Maggie Butler, Bill Gibson, and Linda Snyder.

Our second one was held on September 19th and was hosted by the Clay County Food Pantry. This one was also very well attended. We had 48 people attend and they selected food for 104 family members. We had such a large and varied supply of food. Our new hours of operation worked out very well. Once again we had a great group of volunteers who made our pantry run like a well oiled machine. Thank you Barbara Harrington, Charlotte Majercik, Gary Majercik, Carolyn Anderson, Paulette Tonielli, Larry Shoeman, Mary Shelton, Sheila Crawford, Bill Gibson, Charlie Allison, Hoyt Zimmerman, and Linda Snyder.

Due to the recent hurricane, Manna’s warehouse in Asheville has been destroyed. Our Brasstown Food Pantries will be canceled until further notice.  In the meantime, those needing supplemental food are encouraged to go to the Clay County Food Pantry on Friday mornings or Matt’s Ministry on Saturday mornings.

Our Community has really been blessed beyond measure with Helena heading eastward. While we are well here, there are a number of sister communities which have been devastated. Please remember these people prayerfully and if you can help send needed items their way it would be most appreciated. Many churches and benevolent groups are collecting food in our area. If you aren’t aware of drop off locations, Little Brasstown Church is accepting donations to help these people in need.

Important Dates to Remember

Food Pantries: Information regarding these will be shared as received

October Community Dinner, October 15th 6:00 pm

Thanksgiving Community Dinner and Business Meeting, November 19th 6:00pm

Your Crier,
Linda Snyder

The nights are getting cooler with a hint of Fall in the air. Our children and grandchildren are headed back to school. Wishing everyone a most successful school year.

2024 Summer Concerts are over

We have recently concluded another year of our Summer Concert Series. It was a successful season which most community members who attended seemed to enjoy. On behalf of the Brasstown Community Center, I wish to thank all the individuals who volunteered to work in the kitchen preparing and selling food. We also appreciate those who volunteered to sell tickets to the concert and those who sold tickets for our quilt.

If you haven’t purchased your quilt tickets, they are available at Olive’s Porch in Murphy, The tickets cost $1.00 each or you can purchase 6 tickets for $5.00. It is a queen size quilt this year. The sale of these tickets is one of our primary sources of raising money to keep our center operational. The winner of this year’s quilt will be selected at our Annual Thanksgiving Dinner. You do not have to be present to win!

Pot Luck Dinner

Our August Pot Luck was well attended. We had over forty people in attendance. Food was tasty and delicious as always.

Our next pot luck is planned for September 17th at 6:00 pm (It is always held on the third Tuesday of the Month).  With school back in session and summer vacations over, we hope to see more community members attend our fall dinners. Pack up your family and your favorite side dish and join us for a delicious dinner together and a chance to visit with your neighbors!

Food Pantries

The food pantries continue to be well attended. Our August 8th Pantry hosted by Matt’s Ministry had 43 individuals attend. They selected food for 103 family members. The community showed up again to support this pantry. A special thanks to Bill Gibson, Charlotte Majercik, Gary Majercik, Hoyt Zimmerman, Carolyn Anderson, Sharon Hayden, Barbara Ciase, Robin Alessi, Maggie Butler, Larry Shoeman, Paulette Tonielli, and Joan Beccard who freely gave of their time to help this pantry run smoothly.

On August 22nd, the Clay County Food pantry hosted our second pantry of the month. Once again 42 individuals attended and selected food for 103 family members. The following individuals volunteered their time to help run the pantry: Charlotte Majercik, Gary Majercik, Carolyn Anderson, Barbara Harrington, Bill Gibson, Faith Snyder, Mike and Bonnie Franklin, Pat Raleigh, Barbara Ciase, and Susan Warner all participated.

Having so many kind volunteers really helps run the program smoothly and makes working the pantry a most enjoyable time for all. I so appreciate all the folks who help make this program the success it has become.

We will begin our second year of operating this program in September. I so appreciate Matt’s Ministry and the Clay County Food Pantry who have generously provided our community with Supplemental Food, I also sincerely appreciate all the community members who have volunteered and worked to make this program the success it has been.

Our September Pantries will be held from 11am-1pm on September 5th and September 19th. Please mark your calendars! Anyone experiencing food insecurity is encouraged to attend. We look forward to seeing you then. If you are aware of anyone who might benefit from this program, please let them know about our pantry and share the dates with them.

Enjoy the beauty of this area of the country as we move into the Fall of the Year!

Your Crier,
Linda Snyder

P.S. Should you know of anyone who might be interested in receiving a copy of our monthly newsletter, please have them send me their email address and I will gladly add them to our mailing.

Hard to believe we are commencing our final summer month before school is back in session.

Summer Concert Series

Only two more concerts for the 2024 season. We have enjoyed each group. If you haven’t been to one of our concerts, please try to join us for one of our final ones. The doors open at six pm with the concert beginning at seven pm. The kitchen also opens at six pm, so if you come hungry, food is available. Our cobbler with ice cream is always a hit.

The Admission is $10.00 per adult and children under 12 are free. All money raised for admission as well as the profits from the food kitchen is used to help finance our center. Our concerts are our major source of raising money necessary to keep our center running.

Our last two concerts are:

August 10th – Grizzell & Friends
August 24th – Just Us

Hope to see you there!!

Pot Luck Dinner

Our Pot Luck dinner will be held on August 20th at 6:00 pm. It is a great time to visit with friends and share one of your favorite dishes with the community. I think this is a place that offers some of the best southern cooking one can find. The dinner begins at 6 pm. Hope to see you there!!

Our July dinner was well attended. There were approximately 50 folks in attendance. It was a very pleasant evening with a bountiful selection of food.

Food Pantries

Our July Pantries were well attended. On July 11, 2024 , Matt’s Ministry sponsored our pantry. We had 47 people attend. They selected food for 109 family members. Once again we had tremendous help from our community. I wish to thank the following volunteers: Charlotte and Gary Majercik, Joan Beccard, Charles Allison, Bill Gibson, Robin Alessi, Larry Shoeman, Maggie Butler, Sharon Hayden, Paulette Tonielli, Carolyn Anderson, Mary Bess Shelton, and Linda Snyder.

On July 25, 2024, Clay County Food Pantry sponsored our pantry. Once again it was well attended. We had 49 folks attend and they selected food for 120 family members. We had an outpouring of community members who helped make it another success. I’d like to thank the following volunteers for their most appreciated help. Thank you Charlotte and Gary Majercik, Joan Beccard, Charles Allison, Bill Gibson, Robin Alessi, Larry Shoeman, Sharon Hayden, Paulette Tonielli, Carolyn Anderson, Johnny Scroggs, Pat Raleigh, Ken Green, Sheila Cranford , Barbara Crose, and James S. We really appreciate all your kind help.

Our August pantries will take place on August 8th and August 22nd from 11:00-1:00 PM. The purpose of our pantry is to help provide supplemental food for any community members who are experiencing food insecurity. Should you know of anyone who could benefit from this program, please share this information with them.

Board News

Our Board Members have been busy working on grants. We received the Dub & Murray Martin Grant for $3,000.00 which will be used to upgrade the sound system we have in our gymnasium.

We have submitted paperwork for a grant from Walmart’s to purchase a new playground set to replace the one currently on our grounds. The grant request is currently in Walmart’s computer awaiting their decision.

Enjoy the rest of our summer!

Your Crier,
Linda Snyder Gibson

P.S. I apologize that this newsletter is being sent out a little early. I will be out of town for the next two weeks and wanted to be sure you were apprised of the activities at our Community Center for the month of August.

Happy 4th of July everyone!
Once again we have a lot of news to share with our Friends in the Brasstown Community.

Concert Series

Our Bluegrass Concert Series continues. This month we will have:

July 13 Brush Fire
July 27 Marshall Brown Band

The concerts begin at 7 PM. The doors open at 6 pm. Food will be available from our kitchen starting at 6 pm. Admission is $10.00 per person with children 12 and under being free. Be sure to try some of our homemade cobbler!

Our June Concerts were well attended. The money for admission as well as the profits from the food sales help us to pay for expenses necessary for the running our center. The concerts are our primary source of raising money to pay our electricity, gas, telephone, maintenance and repair bills(etc.) . We appreciate everyone who helps support us in this manner.

It is hard to believe that we are halfway through with our 2024 Concert series!

Community Pot Luck Dinner

Our Pot Luck Dinners are always on the third Tuesday of the month. This month it will held on July 16th  at six pm. We would love to see you there. Pack up your family and your favorite dish to share with your community members. Its always a fun time to gather with your neighbors and enjoy a family style meal.

We had 45 community members join us for our June potluck dinner. It was good to see everyone that attended.

Food Pantries

As you may or may not know, the Brasstown Community Center partners with both Matt’s Ministry and the Clay County Food Bank and holds a food pantry in our center’s gymnasium bi monthly. Anyone in Clay or Cherokee County who is experiencing food insecurity is welcome to attend. Both organizations are aware that there has been a most significant increase in the price of food. Anyone who finds themselves in need of some supplemental food is encouraged to come to these pantries.

In addition to the food offered here at our pantries it should be noted that both these providers host food pantries in their facilities weekly. Matt’s Ministry holds a food pantry weekly at 123 WJ Cabe Road, Hayesville, NC on Saturdays from 9:30 – 11:30. Clay County Food Pantry is located at 2278 Hinton Center Rd, Hayesville. Their pantry is opened every Friday. Both organizations are non-profit, all volunteer organizations dedicated to helping residents who suffer from Food insecurity. If anyone is interested in making a donation to either of these organizations, I would be happy to provide you with the information. All gifts are tax deductible.

I would also like to express thanks to the Folk School. They frequently supply our pantry with garden fresh vegetables. Their lettuce is amazing! We appreciate their kindness in remembering our community in such a thoughtful and helpful manner.

Additionally we have a bread man, Mike Smith, who graciously provides us with a variety of breads, rolls, bagels, and often times some desserts. He is kind enough to deliver it to us the mornings of the pantry. We much appreciate his kindness and generosity.

Our Pantry on June 13th was attended by 35 people who selected food for 85 family members. Once again we had an abundance of food and personal hygiene products. Folk School provided us with quite a variety of fresh vegetables. Matt’s Ministry provided all the other food. We had a terrific group of volunteers who helped make things go very smoothly. A special thanks to Cindy and Bob Launch, Charlotte and Gary Majercik, Robin Alessi, Paulette Tonielli, Barbara Harrington, Carolyn Anderson, Joan Beccard, Sharon Hayden, Hoyt Zimmerman, Charlie Allison and Bill Gibson. We appreciate all your kind help!

Our second pantry of the month on June 27th, was sponsored by the Clay County Food Pantry. We had 40 individuals attend who selected food for 102 family members. Once again we had some super help from the following people: Barbara Harrington, Paulette Tonielli, Joan Beccard, Pat Raleigh, Sharon Hayden, Gary Majercik, Charlotte Majercik, Hoyt Zimmerman, Bill Gibson and Linda Snyder.

We found that we were in short supply of bags for our shoppers. Paulette Tonielli spoke to the manager of Dollar General in Peachtree about our dilemma and the Manager was kind enough to supply us with bags for our shoppers. This endeavor really does take a community to work well.

We also find we are currently in need of a couple of utility carts to help make it easier for our shoppers to comfortably shop. We have several mothers with small children and several senior adults who really benefit from a cart. If you have any used utility carts that you are no longer using and would like to donate them to our pantry, they would be most appreciated. You can reach me at 828 360 5058 to make arrangements to have them picked up. Thank you!!!

Our July Pantries will be held July 11 and July 27. Please mark your calendars so you wont forget these dates. If you and your family are experiencing food insecurity please plan to join us between 11:00 am – 1:00 pm.

Hope you all enjoy the rest of this summer!

Your Brasstown Crier,
Linda Snyder

Here we are again with a lot of news to report!

First of all I would like to welcome all the new subscribers to The Brasstown Bell. We must have had at least 20 new people who expressed an interest in being added to our Newsletter. I hope you find it informative and of interest.

FOOD PANTRIES

Our Food Pantries continue to be well attended. This month because there were five Thursdays in the month we wound up having three food pantries.

Our first Brasstown Community Food Pantry partnering with the Clay County Food Pantry on May 2nd was a huge success. We served 35 individuals, who selected food for 101 family members! It was wonderful meeting the volunteers from Clay County Food Pantry and once again many people from our community also volunteered. Although the food truck arrived late, the volunteers were able to get all the food on the tables in record breaking time. It is such a privilege to work with such delightful volunteers.

Our volunteers included Lucy Best, Paulette Tonielli, Bill Gibson, Charlotte Majercik, Gary Majercik, Barbara Harrington, Carolyn Anderson, Robin Alessi, Larry Shoeman, Sheila Crawford and three other lovely ladies from the Clay County Food Bank Carol Olary, Tammy Rooks and Janet Nixon. Thank you all for your most appreciated help.

Our Second Food Pantry on May 16 th , partnering with Matt’s Ministry was held at Brasstown Community Center. It was well attended. As always we had a wonderful and abundant supply of food. We had 40 individuals attend who selected food for 103 family members.

We had fantastic help today as well. I’d like to thank the following people who so graciously helped out: Charlotte and Gary Majercik, Barbara Harrington, Joan Beccard, Paulette Tonielli, Carolyn Anderson, Hoyt Zimmerman, Bill and Linda Gibson, Larry Shoemaker, Sharon Hayden, and Maggie Butler. You know what they say about many hands making work easy, well that is what these people did. We so appreciate your kindness and help. It was another successful Food Pantry.

Our third Food Pantry of the month was held May 30th, partnering with the Clay County Food Pantry. We had another good turnout. There were 36 people in attendance. They selected food for 108 family members. Once again we had terrific help. Thank you Charlotte Majercik, Gary Majerick, Pat Raleigh, Robin Alessi, Susan Warner, Larry Shoeman, Bill Gibson, and Linda Snyder. All worked hard to make this Pantry another success. Thank you.

Our next Pantry partnering with Matt’s Ministry will be held on June 13th. The second one partnering with The Clay County Food Pantry will be held on June 27th. The hours of operation are 11 am-1pm. Anyone in Clay or Cherokee County who is experiencing food insecurity is encouraged to attend.

We hold the pantry every other week, however in months that have 5 Thursdays we have three pantries. We put a red sign in front of our center the Friday before the pantry. We also list it on the” Brasstown North Carolina Community” site on Facebook, in local newspapers, on WKRK radio and of course in our newsletter.

POT LUCK DINNER

Our Potluck Dinner was held on Tuesday, May 21st. There were 45 folks at our dinner. It was nice seeing everyone and of course, as usual, the food was delicious. Clay Logan brought his deer meatloaf, which was wonderful. I am not one to eat wildlife, but he is beginning to make a convert out of me. (Everything else was domesticated.) It was nice to see so many people at our dinner and of special note we had quite a good turn out of young people.

Our next Potluck will be June 18th. (it’s always the third Tuesday of the month at 6 pm). Please mark your calendar. We hope to see you there. Bring your family and friends and one of your special dishes to share with our community. Looking forward to seeing you there!!

OUR CONCERT SERIES IS MOVING RIGHT ALONG.

This month we have:

June 8th  –  The Gladson Family

June 22nd  –  Jimmy Wilson & Friends

Just a reminder the doors open at 6 pm and the concert begins at 7 pm. The kitchen will be open at 6pm. Come join us for some good food (and of course peach cobbler and ice cream)! Admission is $10 per person and children under 12 are admitted free. Don’t forget to purchase your quilt raffle tickets. The tickets are a dollar each or 6 tickets for $5.00.

We want to wish you a Happy Flag day on June 14th. It is a day set aside to honor our flag! It certainly is a “Grand Old Flag!”

In addition, we have another very special day in June. Sunday, June 16th is Father’s Day. Let’s all remember to thank our Dads for all the many things they do and have done for us!

Once again I wish to remind you, if you have any thoughts or concerns about how we can make our community center even better, please share your ideas with one of our Board Members. We meet once a month immediately following our Pot Luck Dinner. We are proud of our center and are always looking for ways to make it even better.

Your Brasstown Crier,
Linda Snyder

Happy May Everyone!! You know what May means!!!

May Day 1st
Cinco De Mayo 5th
Mother’s Day 12th
Memorial Day 27th

And for the people in Brasstown, it always means the commencement of our Summer Concerts!!
Our Concert Dates from May- August are as follows:

May 11th Lone Mountain Band
May 25th Barker Brothers Band
June 8th The Gladson Family
June 22nd Jimmy Wilson and Friends
July 13th Brush Fire
July 27th Marshall Brown Band
Aug. 10th Grizzell & Friends
Aug 24th Just Us

The doors will open at 6 pm and the concerts begin at 7 pm. As usual we will have our kitchen open at 6pm. Admission will be $10.00 per person, kids under 12 are free. Hope to see you there!!

Mark your calendar for those dates. Looking forward to a wonderful Concert Season!

Our next pot luck dinner is scheduled for Tuesday, May 21st at 6:00 pm. (the third Tuesday of the month). Please bring your family and friends and a dish to share! We have been having a wonderful turn out these past few months. Often a guest speaker is invited who shares more news about what is happening in our community. These speakers are most informative.

Volunteers at the food pantry in March 2024

Our April Community Food Pantry funded by Matt’s Ministry was held on April 18th. We had some 33 people pick up food for 60 family members. Once again there was an abundance of food for people to select from. We had several volunteers who helped make the pantry run so smoothly. I would like to thank the following people for their kind help: Charlie Allison,Charlotte Majercik, Gary Majercik, Bill Gibson, Paulette Tonielli, Hoyt Zimmerman, Maggie Butler, Larry Shoeman, Julia Geller, Ken Green,Carolyn Anderson, Barbara Harrington, Mary Bess Shelton, and Linda Snyder. Thank you all!!

I also wanted to share some good news about our food pantry. Our monthly food pantry has been successful. Clay County Food Pantry reached out and are interested in having their food banks at our Center. The Board met with them and decided we would host their pantry here. That will give our residents with food insecurity, more direct access to food more frequently. That means we will be having at least two food pantries each month and on months where there are five Thursdays in a month, we will host three. May is one of those months. We will be having three Food Pantries this month. May 2nd, May 16th , 30th. There has been a change in the time these pantries will be open. The Pantry will be open from 11:00 am -1pm. Additionally the Board voted on having all future Pantries in our gymnasium, so please come park, come inside to shop, and someone will help you to your car with your groceries.

This addition will increase our need for volunteers to help run our Pantries.
Anyone willing to help out would be much appreciated.
Your help would be needed from 10:00 am -1:00 pm.

It is through community involvement that this program has been so successful. Know how much we appreciate your assistance. We also want to thank Matt’s Ministry and the Clay County Food Pantry for so generously supplying our community with all the wonderful food. Any questions about the Food Pantry, please call Linda Snyder 828 360-5058. Until this becomes well established, please help spread the word to all who might benefit from it. How blessed are we as a community!

Also of note, NC Cooperative Extension will be offering a Summer Food preservation Series taught by Kim Terrel.

May 30 Jam, Jelly and Biscuits
June 13 Pressure Canning Green Beans
July18 Water Bath Canning Salsa

Students will learn the basics of safe canning principles. It will be held at Brasstown Community Center from 10:00am – 12:00 pm. The cost will be $20 per class or all 3 for $40.00, Space is limited. To register call (828)389-6305.

We want to wish all the Mother’s out there a very Happy Mother’s Day!
We appreciate all you do for your families.

Also we want to take time to remember all those who have given the
greatest sacrifice for Our Country and Our Freedom.
Let’s never forget what cost theses brave men
and women have paid for our Country.

Your Brasstown Crier,
Linda Snyder

It’s so nice to have longer days of sunlight! This is always the time of year that Mother Nature reminds us of rebirth. Our trees are bursting with buds and our Irises are getting ready to share their beauty for all to enjoy! Our Community Center looks so lovely this time of the year.

We are grateful for the Master Gardeners who help keep our center looking so nice. Last Spring, Charly Allison and Elizabeth Love from the Master Gardeners dug up hundreds of Irises which had cramped themselves around the building. This was a huge undertaking as the ground was so dry and hard, but they persevered and got the job done. Elizabeth Love works spring and summer to keep the weeds down and the gardens growing. Just before each concert she is out weeding and adding new plants around the building. We appreciate all she does to beautify our center.

Once again our Community Dinner will be held on the third Tuesday of the month, April 16th at 6 pm. We will meet again in the gym. It’s been so nice having larger numbers of community members attend. I heard some people talking at our last dinner about how delicious the food was. I heard one lady comment that this was the place for some real country cooking. We appreciate the dishes you prepare. It’s nice to be able to share our food and savor that of other folks. Hope to see you all there!!

Sharon Gardner was kind enough to donate a beautiful handmade afghan to the Center as a way to raise money. Tickets for the afghan will be on sale at our monthly potluck dinners. At our last dinner $85.00 was raised.

Our March Food Pantry was held on March 21st. We had another beautiful day. We had 38 people attend and they selected food for 80 family members. We had such a large variety of food and a great deal of fresh vegetables. We appreciate all the food that Matt’s Ministry provides for our community. We had a large number of community volunteers who helped. I wish to thank each and everyone of them who worked hard to distribute  food to our community members.

Last month’s volunteers (from left): Suzanne Deslauriers, Paulette Tonielli, Maggie Butler (Matt’s Ministry), Melvin Cantrell, Larry Shoeman, Charlotte Majercik, Gary Majercik, Sharon Hayden, Lynda Snyder-Gibson (board member), Bill Gibson.

Not pictured: Mary Bess Shelton (board member), Carolyn Anderson (board member).

Our April Community Food Pantry will be held Thursday April 18th from 12-2 pm. Once again Matt’s Ministry will graciously be providing the food for us. If anyone is interested in helping out, please contact Linda Snyder (828 )360 5058. The food usually arrives by truck around 11:00. If you would like to help set up the food, we would appreciate your help then. If you want to greet the folks that attend and help distribute the food to them, please plan on being there around 12pm. Tell anyone who could benefit from some supplemental food, we hope they will attend.

At our March Executive Board Meeting it was decided we will host a Poor Man’s Dinner on September 22, 2024. Save the date! Further information will be made available.

We also discussed raffle tickets for this year’s quilt. In order to sell more tickets, we are looking to have someone take our quilt and tickets at various venues in the area. It is presently on display at Olive’s Porch in Murphy where tickets are on sale. This is our major fundraiser for our Center. If you are aware of any community activities where it would be possible to sell tickets, kindly share with one of our Board members. And if you are interested in taking the quilt to a specific event, call 828-361-3040.

Enjoy all the beauty around us during this Spring Season! We are so fortunate to live in such natural beauty!!

Your Crier,
Linda Snyder

It’s so nice to see those daffodils getting ready to bloom and seeing several robins return to our area. They are both promises that Spring is around the corner. By the time of our Community dinner this month,  the signs will be even more evident.

Things are also continuing to happen at our Community Center. This past winter has seen the culmination of a number of projects. Our sound boards have been installed in our Educational Building and conference room in the gymnasium. This should have such a positive effect in improving the sound quality in both facilities. We also completed the installation of security cameras around the building to help ensure safety. Additionally we have purchased a large ice machine which will be helpful for our community dinners as well as for other social events. Also the stage in the gymnasium has been rebuilt and carpeted and a ramp has also been installed and carpeted, making access to the stage so much more convenient.

In terms of projects for the 2024 year, the Board has decided it will be addressing the need to better Sound Proof our gymnasium and redoing our sound system in the gym. We will be looking into grants to help subsidize the costs of both projects.

We are so fortunate to be part of such an active Community Center, and have a forward looking Administrator and Board.   We are also fortunate to have such a bright and knowledgeable grant writer, who does so much to help us financially so we can continue to maintain and improve our community center.

Our February Community Food Pantry was a success. We had 33 people attend who selected food for 79 family members. Thank you to Matt’s Ministry for continuing to provide us with a wonderful supply of food. MANNA came out to our center last month to do a facility check. It has become apparent to MANNA that Clay and Cherokee Counties have a significant need for this supplemental food. They are now aware of the need in our counties and will consider supplying our counties with a Pop Up Pantry in the future. In the meantime Matt’s Ministry is shouldering that responsibility and we are so appreciative. If anyone is interested in making a contribution to Matt’s Ministry, who work so tirelessly providing food for families in our area, you can make a tax free contribution to :

Matt’s Ministry of Ledford’s Chapel
P.O. Box 205
Hayesville, NC 28904

Since its culmination in September 2023, we have had a nice outpouring of help from our Community. We have had a good number of folks who have volunteered to help make this program a success. We are most appreciative of your kind help. Volunteers for our February Pantry included: Charly Allison, Hoyt Zimmerman, Charlotte Majercik, Gary Majercik, Melvin Cantrell, Bill Gibson, Linda Snyder Gibson, Paulette Tonielli, and Butch Harkins.

Our next Food Pantry is scheduled for March 21st.  Once again it will run from 12-2pm.

As usual our next Community Pot Luck is scheduled for the third Tuesday of the month, March 19th. Hope to see everyone there!

Happy wearing of the Green Everyone!

Your Brasstown Crier,
Linda Snyder

Here we are into the second month of our New Year! Hope all are keeping warm with the cold temperatures we have been experiencing.

As a result of such weather, our January Pot Luck Dinner as well as our Executive Board Meeting were canceled. Hopefully the weather won’t be a problem for our upcoming February 20th Pot Luck. In the event any future Community Activity needs to be canceled for one reason or another, I will be sure to send out a special edition Brasstown Crier informing you of the cancellation.

Since the beginning of the year we have had a ramp build to the stage in our Gymnasium Building. This will allow folks with disabilities easy access to the stage and will be a help for artists in bringing their equipment onto the stage. Thank you Pam Cray, Peggy Cranford and Judy Logan for painting the ramp. Now all we need is carpet to finish the project.

Ramp Build Crew

All hands on deck

New Stage Ramp

One man – supervising…

Prepping for paint

The ladies hard at work

We had our Monthly Food Pantry on January 24th. This was the first Pantry we held where the weather didn’t co operate. Due to the heavy rains , the Pantry was held in our Auditorium. The Pantry was once again incredibly supplied by Matt’s Ministry. We believe the bad weather kept some folks from attending. We had 49 people attending and they selected food for 132 family members.

We wish to thank the following people for their help in setting up the Pantry as well as providing service to those who attended: Paulette Tonielli, Melvin Cantrell, Clay Logan, Hoyt Zimmerman, Gary Majercik, Charlotte Majercik, Maggie Butler, Butch Harkins, Charlie Allison, Bill Gibson, and Linda Snyder. We so appreciate the kind help of these people who help make our Pantry so successful.

Dates have been selected for our upcoming Pantries. Our next one will be held on February 22nd. The following tentative dates have been selected, March 21st, April 18th, May 16th and June 20th. The Pantry runs from 12-2pm. If you would like to help at our next Pantry, please contact Linda Snyder 828-360-5058. If you know anyone who could benefit from some supplemental food, please let them know about our Community Pantry We have truly been blessed by Matt’s Ministry and thank them for so generously providing the food for our Pantries.

Looking forward to seeing you all at our Pot Luck on February20th, at 6 pm.

Happy Valentine’s Day Everybody!!!!

Your Brasstown Crier,
Linda Snyder