One of my favorite things about being part of United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County’s network is feeling connected to our local schools. There are so many ways to volunteer, support, and get involved — and wherever you are in the county on a week day, you’re probably no more than 20 minutes away from a Community Night during the school season.
With Community Nights happening across all nine of our Community Schools (though not every school every week), you’ll always find something special. These evenings feature fully catered meals from local chefs and restaurants, opportunities to chat with your student’s teachers, community resources, tutoring, and more. And that’s just on a regular night! There are also themed events and specialty nights throughout the year.
At the heart of Community Nights is a simple idea: when we share wholesome, delicious food together, our connections to each other — and to our greater community — grow stronger and more resilient.
And yes, that means you can expect some truly amazing meals each week.
This week, we’re highlighting one of our long-time Community Night caterers, Cooking with Comedy. Owner Clarence has been serving our schools for several years now and always delivers flavorful, crowd-pleasing dishes. One of his most popular menus is his Chinese Night spread — a local favorite!
We joined Clarence recently at Owen Middle School in Swannanoa, where he served up vegetarian and chicken lo mein, crispy egg rolls, and Szechuan broccoli. The excitement in the cafeteria was contagious — especially over those egg rolls!
One student, attending her very first Community Night, was thrilled to find a robust vegetarian option. Her mother smiled and said, “It’s so hard to find a vegetarian option at community dinners or potlucks!”
If you can’t make it to a Community Night — or want to bring a taste of it home — Clarence has shared a video showing how to make his Community School-famous lo mein, complete with his signature humor and big personality.
And believe us, every week at a Community Night near you, there’s something new and delicious to try. These events have been a cornerstone of UWABC’s work for over a decade — a chance to take a night off from cooking, connect with others, and access valuable resources. Many schools also feature a resource room stocked with free clothing, pantry staples, school supplies, and snacks.
With so much of the school year still ahead, we hope you’ll join us for a few Community Nights — and don’t forget to bring your neighbors along! You never know what new flavors (or friendships) you’ll discover.
Don't Stop There...
Check out Cooking with Comedy's Lo-Mein Recipe Here
Want to find the closest Community Night to you? Check Out Our Calendar
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