A volunteer packs a food box from the Children First/CIS Family Resource Center at Emma (FRCE) Food Pantry. On average, the FRCE provides over 1,000 food boxes to over 300 families a year, along with many other services that assist families in need.

The Family Resource Center at Emma (FRCE) is located on the campus of Emma Elementary School in the Emma Community. FRCE improves family’s financial stability by providing emergency assistance through a food pantry to decrease food insecurity;  a clothing closet; emergency financial assistance for rent, utilities and medical expenses; and holiday assistance. In addition, we provide case management to those who are requesting assistance on an on-going basis. We work with families individually to bring them out of crisis and to financial stability. These services are available to both English and Latino families living in the Emma Community. For more information on our services for the Latino Community, please visit the Latino Outreach Program page.

Services and qualifications to receive services offered at Children First/CIS Family Resource Center at Emma:

Food Box: To receive a food box, you must have children living in the home and reside in the Emma Community. Recipients need to please bring proof of residency in the form of a bill or current piece of mail with address. To show proof of children living in the home, the recipient can bring a Medicare or Medicaid card or school records. If you are unsure if you live within the Emma Community, please call 252-4810 and we will check your address.

Emergency Financial Assistance: To receive Emergency Financial Services to pay for rent or delinquent utilities you must have children living in the home and reside in the Emma Community. If you are unsure if you live within the Emma Community, please call 252-4810 and we will check your address.

MotherRead Classes: This class is open to anyone in Buncombe County. MotherRead is a program that combines the teaching of literacy skills with child development and family empowerment issues. Parents learn to use the power of language to discover more about themselves, their families, and their communities. This class is offered to both English and Latino participants.  Call 252-4810 for more information.

Love & Logic Parenting Classes: This class is open to anyone in Buncombe County. Put the fun back in parenting while teaching your children consequences to their actions.  Through videos, workbooks and sharing, participants learn techniques to become more effective parents.  This class is offered to both English and Latino participants. Call 252-4810 for more information.

The Community Garden: Our Community Garden is abundant through the warm months, and provides organic fresh vegetables for our food box recipients. If you would like to partake of the garden, come by and put in some volunteer garden time, and take home some fresh veggies! Call 252-4810 for more information.

Directions to the Children First/CIS Family Resource Center at Emma:
37 Brickyard Road, Asheville 28806 on the campus of Emma Elementary

  • From Patton Avenue, turn north onto Louisiana Avenue (next to Kmart shopping center).
  • Cross the railroad tracks and turn left at the traffic light onto Emma Road.
  • Take your first right onto Brickyard Road.
  • Turn right into the entrance of Emma Elementary School.
  • In the parking lot, turn left towards the playground and then turn right.
  • Ahead, you will see two portable buildings on the left. The furthest from the parking lot is the Family Resource Center.
  • If the Center’s parking lot is full, you may park in the school’s lot.

Residents living in the Emma Community would have to travel out of Emma to receive these services for their unmet needs, which presents a transportation barrier. In fact, the Emma Community does not have your typical amenities such as a library, community center, parks or sidewalks. The FRCE is considered the “hub” of the community. There is a Mission Health Clinic located next to FRCE that includes a Department of Social Services (DSS) worker twice a week. In addition, Buncombe County recently opened a satellite office on Leicester Highway that we can refer clients to for DSS, Juvenile Justice and mental health services.

“The Family Resource Center at Emma helped me out a lot with my heating assistance.  I don’t know what I would have done without them.  They were ready to help when no one else would.”  Emergency Financial Assistance Client

In 2010-2011, the Family Resource Center at Emma provided services to over 988 English & Latino speaking families (1,502 adults/2,080 children) that prevented a short-term catastrophic financial event (lack of food, eviction, utilities being disconnected, and lack of clothing).:

  • 774 families received food assistance from the food pantry
  • 49 families accessed the clothing closet
  • 44 families received emergency financial assistance to prevent eviction or utilities being disconnected
  • 121 families (313 children) received holiday assistance in December 2010
  • 17 families received case management to help meet their goal toward self sufficiency
  • 267 families received information and referrals to public and private organizations to help meet their basic needs
  • Offered Love & Logic (English) and Motheread (Spanish) parenting classes.  Next year, both of these classes will be offered in English and Spanish

Children First/CIS partnerships are critical to our success at the FRCE. MANNA Foodbank provides food for our food pantry at low cost. Emma Elementary School provides the facility of our resource center and refers clients to us. We are a partner with the BEACON/Advantage System to document the services we provide to clients that other local non-profit agencies can track where the clients have received other services. International Link operates out of the FRCE weekly to provide services to non-English speaking clients and the Literacy Council works with clients at the FRCE as well.

Additional success is credited to the Children First/CIS volunteers. These volunteers include our Board of Directors but also include community volunteers who come and help with the day-to-day activities of the organizations. Volunteers at the FRCE help with preparing food boxes, sorting the clothing closet, cleaning the FRCE, working in the community garden, helping with annual events such as the annual community wide rummage sale and holiday assistance program.

Children First/Communities In Schools Buncombe County
Family Resource Center at Emma Mailing Address:
50 S. French Broad Ave. Ste. #246
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 259-9717
fax: (828) 281-3308

Family Resource Center Physical Address: See driving directions above
37 Brickyard Road
Asheville, NC 28806
828-252-4810

Lisa Barlow–Family Resource Center at Emma Coordinator
lisab@childrenfirstbc.org
Norma Brown– Latino Outreach Coordinator
normab@childrenfirstbc.org