Nourishing the Staff at Fresh Who Feed Your Family

Help Us Rebuild: Support Fresh Wood Fired Pizza Staff After Hurricane Helene

Dear Friends and Supporters of Fresh & Fresh West,

As many of you know, Hurricane Helene has left a devastating impact on our community, and Fresh Wood Fired Pizza has been particularly affected. With severe flooding forcing us to close our doors, we are unable to serve you until water is restored and our town's infrastructure is rebuilt.

In the aftermath of the storm, our dedicated staff waded through water and mud to clean the restaurant, and prepare and distribute pizzas, pasta, salads, and bread to those in need. They worked tirelessly day after day to feed those without power and water until all of our supplies were depleted. As owners, it is heart wrenching to see the devastation in Black Mountain, Swannanoa, Old Fort and Asheville and the River Arts District. We are a family at Fresh, and we take care of our own during hard times.

Your generosity can not only support the staff who fed our town but also help strengthen the community we all cherish. We’re committed to reopening and continuing to serve you, but we can’t do it without your help.

We are reaching out to you—our loyal customers and friends—to help support our amazing team. Many of you have reached out and asked how you can assist, and we believe the best way is to provide immediate financial relief to our staff during this crisis. Given that the water system was severely damaged, it may take up to 30 days or longer for services to be restored.

Many of our team members are facing immense challenges, having suffered devastating losses of personal property, trees falling on vehicles, and, in several cases, homes and all their belongings destroyed by flooding and storm damage. They are all left without income and, due to the lack of cell or wifi services, some are unable to even apply for unemployment benefits. We believe that no one should have to worry about putting food on the table during such difficult times.

We want to assure you that 100% of the donations we receive will go directly into the pockets of our staff members who need it most—none will be allocated to the owners.

Every contribution, no matter how small, makes a significant difference. Together, we can help our team get back on their feet and ensure they have the support they need to weather this storm.

Thank you for standing with us during this challenging time. Together, we will rise stronger than ever.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Mark Tomczak and Courtney Smith

Fresh Wood Fired Pizza Team

[email redacted]m