Where You Live Matters

PHOTO BY KAYLA LASURE Carlisle Poteat volunteers at Ransom in Boone to pack meal boxes in March 2020.

5 Ways to Draw Inspiration from Living in the High Country

The mornings were still, and the mountain sunrise provided an exquisite backdrop for the start of each spring day. Frost on the fresh-cut grass quickly fading, breath still visible thanks to the morning chill. The serene setting created by the dawn’s first light helped to provide hope and optimism despite the circumstances besieging the surrounding world.

This setting was our reality in spring 2020. While millions saw their lives suddenly confined to tiny dwellings amidst city skylines, we had our overlooks, our

BY KATIE GREENE & DAVID JACKSON Boone Area Chamber of Commerce

long and winding trails, and the beauty of our ridgelines to help give each day the feel of a restart. That daily ritual could only influence the attitudes of our citizens and business leaders. With each morning walk came the rhetorical questions, “What can I do to help? How can I make things better?”

Below are some examples of why where you live matters, both during times of calm and unrest, and how the attitude of a community helped to provide the hope we all so desperately craved.

1. WE HAVE GRIT

The realities of a world cloaked in pandemic mayhem saw resilience become the most valuable commodity. People were forced to think outside their tried and true operational norms to find ways for their businesses and families to survive both health issues and economic disarray.

When N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper announced the closure of restaurants to dine-in traffic in late March, Kindly

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Locally ownedandoperated for over35 yearsintheHighCountry

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Kitchen, a local plant-based restaurant, saw an immediate impact to their business. Not only did their daily offerings provide fresh, organic food to a growing stable of healthy eaters, but it also served as an outlet for dozens of local organic farmers to bring their crops to market. Once restaurants closed, those farmers faced the harsh reality of harvesting crops with no customers in sight.

Kindly Kitchen co-owner Caleb Crowell also owns and operates New Appalachia Foods, a transportation company that works with over 90 area organic farmers to distribute product to area food suppliers, restaurants and other markets. He saw customers in one of his businesses struggle to get food off their farms and customers in another losing their link to fresh, healthy food options.

An idea was born that merged his two businesses to create the Kindly Kitchen Food Box Program. Crowell contacted farms through New Appalachia and purchased fresh, locally grown foods and products. His team packages those items in family-sized boxes and sells them to customers through an online platform and safe pickup system. New seasonal items were introduced each week and fresh food was available at a crucial time for healthy habits to remain supported.

“As restaurant sales declined, we wanted to help out and move some things for the farmers we’ve been working with,” Crowell said. “Plus, it gave us a chance to give access

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PHOTO BY KAYLA LASURE Watauga High School Principal Chris Blanton assists with meal distribution on April 10, 2020.

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to more food for folks in the community. We’ve been able to do both vegetable and fruit boxes. Each week is something different, just like our menu in the restaurant. We will be able to keep this going year-round, as we have now established a supply line with our local growers that can keep product moving.”

Kindly Kitchen gained new customers in search of fresh products who had never happened across the restaurant. The effort created a lasting program that will benefit healthy-eating customers and the farmers who feed them.

2. WE SHOW UP

Compassion and kindness have remained on full display, even under the distress that 2020 has created. Jobs were lost and families were experiencing immediate decreases or even halts in paychecks. The shutdown in March sparked a community-wide effort to support our most vulnerable populations, including those experiencing increasing food insecurity.

A grassroots movement started with a large-scale box collection effort to help effectively transport food to various residents and programs throughout the community. This kept funds going toward the purchase of food for those in need rather than getting lost in supply and delivery costs.

Local partners including Appalachian Regional Healthcare System, Mast General Store, Appalachian State University, Truist Bank and Tractor Supply of Boone teamed up with strong-minded faithbased groups and a myriad of volunteers in the formation of a community assembly line. Boxes were filled with non-perishable goods and distributed to recently laid-off workers, families with shriveling incomes and anyone in else in need. This organic outreach resulted in feeding hundreds of High Country citizens and preserving human dignity in the community we love.

“It is our job (at ARHS) is to serve the community. My materials management team ensures that our hospitals, facilities and staff have the supplies they need when they need them to support the provision of excellent patient care,” said

PHOTO BY KAYLA LASURE Mary Poteat and Donna Mosely hand meals to families at Watauga High School in April 2020.

Mike Rawls, director of purchasing and materials management at Appalachian Regional Healthcare System. “Our team was excited about the opportunity to support the food box initiative by saving boxes. The boxes not only brought needed medical supplies to ARHS, they were also used to serve our neighbors in need.”

3. WE CULTIVATE AN ENVIRONMENT FOR YOUNG LEADERS

Developing leadership within our community has never been more imperative. The Boone Area Chamber of Commerce recognizes emerging leaders through its annual 4 Under 40 Awards. The program recognizes area honorees across four different categories, which include Business Owner, Education Professional, Nonprofit Business Professional and Rising Star. An annual Respect Your Elder award is given to a community mentor who works with young leaders to enhance professional development and pass along valuable experience to the next generation of decision-makers.

The Watauga Leadership Institute has expanded to include several courses focused on continuing education and development. The Watauga Leadership Challenge teaches base leadership principles while introducing new residents, and those new to leadership positions, to key aspects of Watauga County. The Watauga Leadership Development program provides a more immersive path toward professional growth, focusing on areas helpful to those who aspire to serve at the top of their organizational chart. The Pioneer Leadership Institute is slated to begin in late 2021, connecting high school students with area businesses through a partnership with Watauga County Schools. A new program focusing on leadership development for businesses with two or less employees will debut by mid-2021.

4. WE ARE RESOURCE MINDED

No matter where you stand in Watauga County, take one look around and you’ll be overwhelmed by the surrounding natural beauty. Recreational tourism remains one of the top attractors to our area, and businesses and residents are steadfast in preserving the land and resources that make this area both unique and attractive to all who come in contact.

The High Country Food Hub, a project of Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture, is an online farmers market that gives local growers the opportunity to digitize their product offerings and centralize distribution of their merchandise. While some communities were experiencing food shortages, the High Country Food Hub saw exponential growth during the onset of the pandemic. BRWIA provided valuable space for farmers to hold product, with expanded freezer and cold storage space to complement capacity for dry goods. They offered the convenience

PHOTO COURTESY SHANNON CARROLL High Country Food Hub and Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture volunteers help sort the produce in preparation for the weekly Wednesday pickup on March 18, 2020.

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of an easy-to-use online ordering system, along with a downtown Boone pickup location, to provide the safety and efficiency customers sought.

The Food Hub saw over a 300% increase in sales during the spring months. Those profits were routed to BRWIA’s Double-Up Food Bucks program, which doubles the purchase power of EBT and SNAP users who seek fresh food from local farmers markets.

Providing access to public lands to promote health and sustainability continues to be a top priority for local land conservation groups. The Middle Fork Greenway project is aimed at connecting Boone and Blowing Rock with nearly seven miles of walkable and bikeable trail that will link to existing greenways in both communities. The project includes the development of pocket parks throughout the route, which include space for picnic areas, playgrounds and other features that will attract users of all ages.

While the project is an avenue for healthy interaction, the effort also provides protection and streambank upkeep along the Middle Fork of the New River, which is one of the oldest river systems in the world. Plant and animal life are documented and protected along the route and collaborative work with the North Carolina Department of Transportation and Watauga County planners have allowed for environmentally friendly and efficient passages in and around intersections with U.S. 321, the Blue Ridge Parkway and other access points throughout the trail.

5. OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM ROCKS

Watauga County Schools are proven champions for families in the High Country, both inside and outside of classroom walls. One of the top performing school systems in the state of North Carolina, and one of the five largest employers in the county, the system operates each day with a goal to make Watauga County Schools the best place to learn and work in North Carolina.

Facing a state-ordered suspension of in-person instruction in mid-March, Watauga County Schools made the quick shift to online learning and remained focused on creating an enriching and steady environment for education.

System leaders also recognized that many residents rely on the relationship with their local school to supplement or supply food for their entire family. WCS worked with state and federal partners from mid-March through the end of July, to provide over 250,000 meals to children and families throughout the district, regardless of enrollment status. Many administrators, teachers, nutritional and custodial staff added to their responsibilities and worked hard to provide an engaging and supportive setting for our children, motivated by the love for the families they serve.

“We feel very fortunate to be a part of the Watauga County Schools family,” said Kindsay Reeder, a Cove Creek School parent. “They were given an impossible task and have been flexible, understanding and efficient in helping us stay on top of what we need to do for my son’s school requirements. Each day is a new challenge, but I feel like they have met us in the trenches and have prepared each family to do the best we can. I’m very thankful for Dr. Scott Elliott, Ms. Anne Donadio, Ms. Jessica Combs, all the teachers and support staff for teaching us all a lesson in grace in doing the impossible. We are truly all in this together.”

We continue to adjust our patterns as both the seasons and the easing of restrictions evolve. Behaviors that seemed foreign in March are now habitual, and although we have regained hints of normalcy, a cloak of uncertainty still waits around the corner. Regardless of what we encounter next, our ability to unite around one another has set the precedent for future response to adversity.

The High Country narrative is one of determination, compassion and resourcefulness. We recognize the importance of pouring our experiences into the students that will develop into local leaders, to rally around farmers and those that supply resources to our area and to preserve and protect the peaks and valleys we call home.

The magnificence of these mountains can be seen with our eyes and felt through full hearts. A community that works and lives for one another will always further the beauty of a spring mountain sunrise.