There's something about fall that makes you want to slow down. The light gets softer, the air gets a little cooler, and for a lot of us, it's the first real pause after a busy summer. It's the season of harvest, of gathering, of noticing what we have and who we have it with.

This year, we're inviting you to spend just one hour of that season doing something that matters: helping put fresh produce into the hands of families right here in our community.

Two Dates, One Hour, A Real Difference

Matcha Nude is partnering with Bounty & Soul again this fall for two community packing days: September 22 and November 17, both from 1:45 to 2:45 PM.

That's it. One hour. You don't need to clear your whole afternoon or rearrange your week. You just need to show up, roll up your sleeves, and help us pack fresh produce boxes that are heading straight to families across our community.

Here's what that hour looks like: filling boxes with fresh fruits and vegetables, assembling them in order so nothing gets missed, closing them up, and stacking them on pallets so they're ready to go out the door. It's simple, hands-on work, done shoulder to shoulder with other people who showed up for the same reason you did.

The Truth About Food Insecurity in This Country

It's easy to picture hunger in America as a distant, extreme problem. It's not. According to the USDA's most recent household food security report, roughly 1 in 7 households, nearly 48 million people, experienced food insecurity at some point in the past year. Among households with children, that rate climbs even higher. This isn't a rare hardship. It's a quiet reality in nearly every neighborhood, including ours.

But food insecurity isn't only about how much food a family has. It's also about what kind of food they can actually get to. Millions of Americans live in what researchers call food deserts, low-income areas where the nearest supermarket is half a mile away or more in cities, and up to ten miles away in rural areas. In those neighborhoods, the food that's easiest to reach often isn't the food that's easiest to build a healthy plate from.

Why This Is Different Than a Food Bank

Food banks are essential, and we're grateful for every one of them. But there's a difference between having food and having the fresh food, and the knowledge, to actually build health with it.

That's where Bounty & Soul's model stands apart. It's not just about volume of food distributed, it's about the kind of food and what comes with it. Alongside every farmer's market style distribution, Bounty & Soul offers recipe ideas, food storage tips, and wellness education, so families don't just walk away with a box of produce, they walk away knowing what to do with it. Over the past two years, that approach has helped Bounty & Soul distribute more than 115 tons of local food, contribute over $83,000 in local farm purchases, and provide over 40,376 seedlings to local farmers, all while building the kind of nutrition literacy that a one-time food drop can't offer on its own.

Access without education only solves half the problem. Bounty & Soul is built to solve both halves at once.

Why This Matters to Us

This partnership is personal for Matcha Nude, and for our founder, Samm, specifically.

Samm grew up with six siblings, relying on public assistance like WIC and food stamps to get by. If you've ever tried to divide a single apple evenly among that many kids, you already know what that kind of scarcity feels like. And back then, WIC and food stamps weren't exactly generous with produce. Fresh fruits and vegetables were rarely part of the equation, unless you count fruit packed in syrup out of a can.

That upbringing shaped how Samm sees food, health, and access. When she moved to Asheville and discovered Bounty & Soul, an organization built around the idea that everyone deserves real, fresh food and the knowledge to use it, she started volunteering almost immediately. Building a lasting partnership between Matcha Nude and Bounty & Soul became one of the reasons Matcha Nude exists at all. It's why we volunteer with them at least four times a year, and why 1% of every Matcha Nude purchase goes back to their work.

Join Us This Fall

Spots are limited to 7 per day, so if either date works for you, we'd love to have you there.

Tuesday, September 22 | 1:45–2:45 PM 

Tuesday, November 17 | 1:45–2:45 PM 

Come slow down with us for an hour. Bring a friend. Leave knowing you helped get fresh food, and a little more knowledge, into the hands of families right here in our community.

Can't make either date? Join our newsletter to hear about our next service day.