Join Santa in Fighting Asheville Hunger

Press Release...
Carolina Mornings and Biltmore Village Villas Help Hunger Take a Holiday with "Kids, Paws and Claus," a Charity Event for MANNA FoodBank!

Carolina Mornings and the Biltmore Village Villas are teaming up to bring Santa Claus to the Biltmore Villas for a Holiday Meet-and-Greet charity event for MANNA FoodBank. Bring your entire family (even your pets!) to meet Santa and help hunger take a holiday in western North Carolina!

Carolina Mornings will host the first annual "Kids, Paws and Claus" charity event on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 7, 2008, noon-5 p.m. The event will be held in the heart of Biltmore Village inside the Biltmore Village Villas, complete with stunning holiday decorations, refreshments, a jolly Santa Claus and the opportunity to donate canned goods to the western North Carolina community.

Carolina Mornings is Asheville's leader in luxury mountain vacation rentals and is excited to be hosting an event contributing to MANNA FoodBank's efforts. "At Carolina Mornings, we love giving back to the community," said Shari Goldstein, chief executive officer and founder of Carolina Mornings. "We hope this event brings in a lot of food for our WNC neighbors who are in need, and we are looking forward to making this a yearly event."

"Kids, Paws and Claus" offers a chance for entire families – kids, pets and kids at heart – to meet Santa Claus at the Biltmore Village Villas while helping MANNA FoodBank. Cameras and video cameras are welcome.

MANNA FoodBank is a non-profit organization that distributes food to 331 partner agencies in 16 counties in western North Carolina. MANNA FoodBank distributed more than six million pounds of food in 2007 and this year, they are hoping to do more.

MANNA FoodBank's mission is to involve, educate, and unite people in the work of ending hunger.

"According to a recent study, we estimate that 115,500 different Western North Carolinians seek emergency food assistance in a single year," said Josh Stack, communications and marketing coordinator at MANNA FoodBank. "That's one in six of our neighbors and double the national average."
While guests can donate canned goods on site at the Biltmore Village Villas the weekend of the Santa Claus Meet-and-Greet, other sponsors will be hosting MANNA FoodBank collection bins prior to the event.

"We want to collect as much food as possible. We hope that making the bins available at local businesses can help make it easier for people to give," said Goldstein.
Drop-off bins for canned goods are conveniently located at several businesses, including: T.G.I. Friday's and Bruegger's Bagels on Hendersonville Road, State Employees' Credit Union and Starbucks Coffee on All Souls Crescent Road, Rita's Cantina on Garfield Street and La Paz Restaurante and Cantina at Biltmore Plaza. These businesses will have bins available until Dec. 7, 2008.

"Hunger has a cure. It's each and every one of us. We would be upset if a physician had a cure to cancer and refused to share this cure with the world," said Stack. "Hunger has a simple solution: food. There's enough to go around. We hope the community will show up with cans in hand to enjoy this event."

For additional information on the first annual "Kids, Paws and Claus" charity event, contact Shari Goldstein or visit: http://www.carolinamornings.com/