www.justeconomicswnc.org

Just Economics of Western North Carolina (JE) is a regional, membership organization based in Asheville, NC. Our mission is to educate, advocate, and organize for a strong and sustainable economy that works for all in Western North Carolina.  Its members are working to shape the economic development of Western North Carolina in a way that benefits everyone and promotes a sustainable future.

 

www.workersunitedwnc.org

The mission of the Western NC Workers Center is to improve the wages, benefits, and working conditions of low-wage workers by developing leadership among workers and partnering with churches, community organizations, and progressive labor leaders to serve as allies to low-wage workers.

 

www.divinity.duke.edu/initiatives-centers/thriving-rural-communities

The Thriving Rural Communities initiative at Duke Divinity School exists to celebrate and empower rural churches and communities in North Carolina.  The initiative has several programs throughout the year that focus on training rural pastors and laity.

 

www.nccouncilofchurches.org

The North Carolina Council of Churches has two committees/programs that work on Western North Carolina issues. The Rural Life Committee brings together a variety of groups concerned with issues affecting rural North Carolina, including agricultural policy, health care, disaster recovery, contract farming, housing, urbanization, and the survival of family farms. NC Interfaith Power and Light works with faith communities to ad- dress the causes and consequences of global climate change through education and public policy advocacy.

 

www.ncjustice.org

North Carolina Justice Center, North Carolina’s leading private, nonprofit anti-poverty organiza- tion. Its mission is to reduce and eliminate poverty in North Carolina by helping to ensure that every North Carolina household gains access to the resources, services, and fair treatment that it needs in order to enjoy economic security.

 

www.cpcwnc.org

The Center for Participatory Change (CPC) seeks to expand democracy in Western North Carolina by supporting the community involvement of people in low-wealth areas, especially groups of people who are outside of the usual decision-making systems. Through four programs -- grassroots organizing, capacity building, networking, and grant making -- CPC helps rural people make improvements in their communities through projects that they plan, implement, and evaluate. CPC has worked with 102 grassroots groups and networks over 24 rural counties. Of these groups, 36 were Latino, 30 rural Appalachian, 16 multiracial, 12 African American, and 7 Cherokee.

 

www.hintoncenter.org

The mission of Hinton Rural Life Center is to be an advocate for the small membership church within the United Methodist connection, to assist small membership churches in becoming healthy and effective, to provide opportunities for missional involvement, and to be a place of hospitality, spiritual growth, and renewal.

 

http://riseshine.org/

Neighbors in Ministry (NIM) is a multiracial group of dedicated community leaders in Brevard, NC who have a long history of fighting for racial justice by organizing church partnerships, antiracism trainings, and programs for children and parents.

 

www.dogwoodalliance.org

Dogwood Alliance seeks to hold corporations in the South accountable for the impact of their industrial forestry practices on our forests and our communities, to protect and restore the South’s endangered forests, to end unsustainable forestry practices, and to increase the industry’s use of post-consumer recycled and other environmentally preferable sources of fiber in the production of paper.

 

www.wnca.org

The Western North Carolina Alliance (WNCA) works to protect our national forests and parks from abusive commercial logging, and promote ecologically sound forestry on private lands, encourage citizen participation in water-quality monitoring and river stewardship, promote sustainable communities (ecologically sound business practices and development patterns, more livable communities, alternative transportation, recycling, and conservation of family farms, forest lands, and watersheds).

 

www.ncruralcenter.org

The mission of the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center is to develop, promote, and implement sound economic strategies to improve the quality of life of rural North Carolinians. The center serves the state's 85 rural counties, with a special focus on individuals with low to moderate incomes and communities with limited resources.

 

www.rafiusa.org

RAFI-USA is dedicated to community, equity, and diversity in agriculture. While focusing on North Carolina and the southeastern United States, they also work nationally and internationally. RAFI-USA is playing a leadership role in responding to major agricultural trends and creating a movement among farm, environmental, and consumer groups to: 1) promote sustainable agriculture; 2) strengthen family farms and rural communities; 3) protect the diversity of plants, animals, and people; 4) ensure responsible use of new technologies.

 

www.cssnc.org/justicepeace.html

The Office of Justice and Peace seeks to assist Catholics and other people of good will to put their faith into action on behalf of justice. Its organizational place within Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Charlotte enables the Office of Justice and Peace to remain connected to the immediate needs of individuals and communities, while implementing programs to systematically address many of these needs. With so many threats to human dignity present in society, the Office of Justice and Peace offers educational resources that empower people to overcome such threats and actively address unjust social conditions.