Ali Casparian spent months in the hospital after surviving a brutal domestic assault in 2011, and when she finally emerged, everything looked different in the most profound way. The flowers seemed brighter, the sounds were louder, and she felt a deeper empathy that would completely redirect the course of her life away from her 25 year career, her home, and her city. She walked away from everything and eventually landed in Black Mountain, North Carolina, cleaning houses to make ends meet while volunteering at a community meal program called the Welcome Table.
One day, she spotted a surplus of fresh produce at a nearby food bank that would be discarded or given to livestock, and in a flash of inspiration, she arranged for it to be brought to the church where she set up one small table so people could take what they needed without shame. That single table grew into Bounty & Soul, a nonprofit that now serves 850 families weekly through drive thru markets and has distributed over 1.8 million pounds of produce while investing nearly $1 million into the local food system. The organization offers everything from yoga and diabetes prevention to financial literacy and parenting support, with classes co created by community input where participants are called friends instead of clients. When SNAP benefits were paused during a recent government shutdown, a woman on disability called in distress, and Bounty & Soul connected her to a market that same day where she picked up fresh vegetables and eggs before bursting into tears of relief, proving that what started as one woman’s healing journey has become a lifeline for thousands who desperately need both nourishment and dignity.
