Health Insurance for Low Income Citizens

You may be eligible for Medicaid or Health Choice.

Parks, Greenways and Recreation Newsletter

Parks Greenways & Recreation has a great newsletter. It's called "Come Out & Play" & it has something for everyone!

County Services Reach Out to You

Take a look at a list of locations where you can access DSS services.

Read Aloud to Children—Be a POP Volunteer!

Bring out your inner ham and share books with children. Training at Pack Library on March 11.

Community Transportation Program Hearing

A public hearing will be held on the proposed FY 2010 Community Transportation Program grant application to be submitted by March 31, 2009, to the N.C. Department of Transportation – Public Transportation Division.

Sightseers Trip to Vance Birthplace

March brings the daffodils and where better to enjoy these yellow beauties than in Weaverville. Join the Sightseers as we visit The Zebulon Vance Birthplace in Reems Creek.

4-H Achievement Program Draws Record Crowd

Nearly 200 Buncombe County 4-H'ers, volunteer leaders, family members & community leaders gathered to celebrate the past year's accomplishments and kick off the NC 4-H Centennial on January 23, 2009.

Dance! Dance! Dance!

If you are age 2 – 92 there is a class offered for you. Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Gymnastics, Hip Hop, Funk and more, it’s all offered at the Zeugner Center.

Pet Pictures of the Week - We're Tired of the Shelter, Can You Give Us a Home?

Please consider giving a home to one of these wonderful pets! The shelter is okay, but I would love to have a home of my own!

Recipe of the Week - Blueberry Dump Cake

Congratulations to Angela Helms of Haw Creek for her Blueberry Dump Cake recipe!

Peanut butter is a staple of the kid’s lunch box. But, with schools going peanut free due to severe allergies, to the recent recalls of many of peanut products, parents are challenged to find easy, healthy lunches that kids will love.

The following are 5 Quick and Healthy Lunch ideas from Eating Well magazine:

1. Strawberry & Cream Cheese Sandwich: Sliced strawberries and reduced-fat cream cheese come together in a sandwich for this quick and healthy lunch box treat.
2. Buffalo Chicken Wrap: Moms and Dads like wraps because they're neat and compact--so beware: ours is messy and spicy. This fiery combination of buffalo chicken in a modern wrap is guaranteed to drip. Get out the big napkins and have a ball!
3. Mini Greek Pizza Muffins: Nearly everyone loves pizza and these mini muffins are totally portable too. All the flavors of a Greek pizza make these savory muffins bite-size treats for adults and kids alike.
4. Pizza Roll-Up Bento Lunch: This easy pizza-inspired roll-up is a kid-pleaser and costs less than $3 per serving. Make crunchy vegetables more appealing by selecting colorful varieties like orange and purple cauliflower—and don’t forget the dip! Keep ’em smiling with watermelon cut into fun shapes with cookie cutters.
5. Turkey & Pepper Roll-Up: Crunchy bell pepper strips rolled in deli turkey (you can use ham too) makes a simple and satisfying protein-packed pick-me-up.

For more lunch ideas from Eating Well, visit their website.

Visit this FDA website for more information about the safety of peanut products and salmonella risks. You can call CDC's 24/7 toll-free public inquiries hotline (1-800-CDC-INFO or 1-800-232-4636) to get phone assistance looking up particular foods that appear on the recall list.

For more information on food safety and food allergies, call Buncombe County Cooperative Extension at (828) 255-5522.

It is hard to believe that one of the fastest growing areas in the whole United States is in North Carolina! The areas of the United States with the fasted growing populations from the year 2000 to 2007 were:

• Las Vegas, NV --  33.5%
• Raleigh, NC -- 31.4%
• Phoenix, AZ -- 28.5%
• Austin, TX -- 27.9%
• Riverside, CA -- 25.4%

_{Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009}

Need someone to speak to your club or organization? The Buncombe County Foster Care Speaker’s Bureau is available to speak about foster parenting and other children’s services related topics.

There is no fee for this educational service.

For further information contact Erica Jourdan of the Buncombe County DSS Children’s Services Office at 775-2404. (Individuals are also welcome to call for further information.)

As you know, these are unprecedented times. With the annual report attached below, Buncombe County Human Services shows how we have focused on working smarter by realigning funding to better leverage resources and ultimately yield improved results. A critical strategy in that effort has been our ability to build smart partnerships with other agencies.

Buncombe County Human Services - Annual Report FY08 (PDF)