Pack Youth Services introduces Take & Play, a pilot program that offers everyone the opportunity to borrow games, ukuleles, and disc golf sets from the Youth Services department at Pack Library. Take & Play items check out for three weeks, and you need to pick them up and drop them off at Pack Library. Games, ukuleles, and disc golf sets are available on a first-come, first-served basis and you check them out with your library card just like a book. Call 250-4720 for details, or drop by the library anytime we’re open.

All our library hours are listed here.

You’ve heard that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. That’s especially true at
Bargain Hendo located on the corner of
 They recently had a couple of rough-looking bicycles that were dropped off – tires flat,
dusty and starting to rust. But a volunteer named Sawyer saw something beautiful
underneath the dull chrome. He spent a few hours restoring the old bikes and advertised
them on Facebook where they quickly sold.
 Proceeds raised will help support WCCA programs like Apple Country Transportation here
in Henderson County. Apple Country helps people get to doctor appointments, food
shopping, congregate meal sites, school and work.
 Bargain Hendo needs more volunteers who want to help their community by helping out at
the thrift store. Go to www.WCCA.org or call (828) 435-6880 for more information.

March is Red Cross Month, and for more than 130 years, heroic American Red Cross volunteers have provided hope and urgent relief to families in communities across the country.
This March the community is invited to join in the lifesaving mission of the Red Cross and be
someone’s hero by rolling up a sleeve to give blood.
According to the Red Cross, someone in the U.S. needs blood every two seconds to respond to
patient emergencies. Accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients,
and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease may all require blood.
All blood types are needed.
Be a hero in your community by rolling up a sleeve….

To make an appointment or to learn more, download the American Red Cross Blood Donor
App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enable the Blood
Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device. Completion of a RapidPass® online health history
questionnaire is encouraged to help speed up the donation process. To get started, follow the
instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App. A blood donor card
or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who
are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh
at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High
school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height
and weight requirements.

 Blue Ridge Humane Society has been awarded a grant by the Community Foundation of Henderson County to provide assistance for pet owners seeking housing. Blue Ridge Humane Society is committed to keeping pets in loving homes through a range of programs and assistance for community pets. The new program adds a needed service to assist in the current pet-friendly housing challenges facing Henderson County residents.

The new program will assist pet owners through two avenues—either through assisting with temporary boarding cost while the owner is unable to keep an animal due to relocation or other emergency circumstances; or through assisting with one-time pet deposit for a rental unit.

Those needing assistance or interested in learning more about the program can call (828) 393-5832 (you may experience a delay on holidays and weekends).

Community Foundation of Henderson County, founded in 1982, supports charitable programs in the greater Henderson County area.

Blue Ridge Humane Society, Inc., is a 501(c)3 animal welfare organization started in 1950 dedicated to ensuring the highest quality of life for animals in Henderson County and our neighboring communities. BRHS cares for pets awaiting adoption and in foster homes; offers low-cost vaccine clinics, animal education programs, pet training classes, and youth education and projects; coordinates community pet food assistance, emergency vet assistance, and the Spay Neuter Incentive Program (SNIP), which is a collaboration with Henderson County, the City of Hendersonville, and the Henderson County Animal Services Center.

If you believe in our cause, consider making a donation or learning how to volunteer by visiting the Blue Ridge Humane Society’s website at www.blueridgehumane.org or call (828) 692-2639.

Because of the Covid-19 restrictions, our Library Tax-Aide program is changing the way you can get help with your taxes in 2021. Tax assistance is available now through April 8.

You will need an appointment this year to speak with a tax help aide at the library. At your appointment, you can drop off your tax documents and you’ll be given another appointment in about two weeks to pick up your paperwork and completed tax form.

How it works

1. Pick-up a Tax Record Envelope and instructions at Black Mountain, West Asheville or Pack Library during library hours.
2. Complete the Intake/Interview Booklet in your envelope by answering all questions. Then sign and date the last 3 pages.  Place all your tax forms and any information relating to your tax return in your envelope.
3. Make an appointment to drop off your Tax Record Envelope and meet with a Tax-Aide volunteer.

Schedule

West Asheville Library: Tuesdays, appointments available between 1-5p.m.

• To make an appointment at the West Asheville Library email [email protected] with your name and telephone number. An AARP volunteer will contact you to set up your appointment. If you don’t have access to email, someone at the library can email AARP for you. At your appointment, a tax volunteer will check all documents and give you a follow-up appointment to pick up your completed tax return and documents in 1 or 2 weeks.

Pack Library: Wednesdays, appointments available between 1-5p.m.

• To make an appointment on Wednesday at Pack Library, email [email protected] with your name and telephone number OR, on Wednesdays only between 1 and 5 p.m. call (828) 747-3579. An AARP volunteer will contact you to set up your appointment. At your appointment, a tax volunteer will check all documents and give you a follow-up appointment to pick up your completed tax return and documents in 1 or 2 weeks.

Saturdays, appointments available between 10:30am and 2pm

• To make an appointment for Saturday tax help at Pack Library, email [email protected] with your name and telephone number. A volunteer will contact you to set up your appointment. At your appointment, a tax volunteer will check all documents and give you a follow-up appointment to pick up your completed tax return and documents in 1 or 2 weeks. This tax help is provided by UNCA.

Black Mountain Library: Thursdays, appointments available between 1-5 p.m.

• To make an appointment at Black Mountain Library email [email protected] with your name and telephone number OR call (828) 419-0030. An AARP volunteer will contact you to set up your appointment. At your appointment, a tax volunteer will check all documents and give you a follow-up appointment to pick up your completed tax return and documents in 1 or 2 weeks.

Weaverville Library and Weaverville First Baptist Church: Thursdays, appointments available between 1-5pm

• To make an appointment for tax help at the Weaverville First Baptist Church email [email protected] with your name and telephone number OR call the Weaverville Library at (828) 250-6482 with questions. An AARP volunteer will contact you to set up your appointment. At your appointment, a tax volunteer will check all documents and give you a follow-up appointment to pick up your completed tax return and documents in 1 or 2 weeks.

Tax help is available now through April 8.

Bring the following documents and tax forms to your tax help appointment (photocopies are recommended):

• Photo ID / Driver License for Taxpayer and Spouse
• Social Security Cards for Taxpayer, Spouse and ALL dependents
• Prior year (2019) Federal and State tax returns
• W-2 Wages, W-2G (Gambling winnings)
• SSA-1099 Social Security Benefit Statement
• 1099-R Retirement, 1099-RRB (Railroad Retirement Benefits)
• 1099-Interest, 1099-Dividend, 1099-OID
• 1099-B Brokerage Statement, Sale of Stocks and Bonds, 1099-Ks
• 1099-G Unemployment and State refunds
• 1099-NEC Self-Employment, 1099-MISC
• 1099-C Sale of Home, Forgiveness of Credit Card Debt
• 1098- Home Mortgage Interest and Real Estate Taxes
• 1099-T Education Credits PLUS Student Account Statement
• 1098-E Student Loan Interest
• 1099-SA and/or 5498-SA (HSA = Health Savings Account)
• 1095-A Health Insurance – Affordable Care Act, Health Insurance Marketplace
• Schedule K-1 (Forms 1065, 1120S or 1041)
• Any other documents or information relevant to preparation of the tax return
• Voided check for direct deposit of any refund to your checking / savings account

Drive-thru Blue Ridge Humane Society Free Pet Food Giveaway

 Blue Ridge Honor Flight has teamed up with AdventHealth Hendersonville to administer vaccinations to veterans who have not yet received a shot. 

We will not be doing a drive-thru event. They will be greeted in the parking lot/front portico and directed through the process to receive the shots inside the clinic.

Income-qualifying households in Buncombe County are eligible for free energy-saving weatherization upgrades to their homes through the Energy Saver’s Network (ESN). The ESN sends volunteers to local homes to install many types of upgrades depending on the needs of the home. The work can take anywhere between one and three hours, and includes:

• weather stripping
• air register and duct sealant
• water pipe insulation
• low-flow water fixtures
• light bulb replacement
• custom interior storm windows
• repairing minor air leaks
• smoke alarm installation, and more.

In 2019, the ESN completed 200 projects, clocked 1,879 volunteer hours, and installed upgrades to homes resulting in 2,341 less tons of CO2 and over 108,000 total kWh savings per year for all of its clients. ESN’s goal is to provide upgrades to 200 homes per year.

ESN is a nonprofit organization founded on a dual mission: to help people and combat climate change. The organization envisions a sustainable future where communities are free from the worst impacts of fossil fuel history. If you want to know if you qualify, are looking to volunteer, or want more information, you can visit energysaversnetwork.org, send them a message on their Facebook/Instagram page, or call Hannah Egan at 828-585-4492.

The Energy Saver’s Network is made up from a partnership with Asheville’s Green Built Alliance, Sierra Club, Buncombe County Government, and the City of Asheville. This also includes partner organizations that help find people to serve or for volunteers, like the Blue Horizon Project, Mountain Housing Opportunities, and Eblen Charities. Make a phone call today to see if you quality for free upgrades to your home.