Asheville grocery to close, cites Helene impact, Medicaid cuts
ASHEVILLE – Thirteen years ago, Mother Earth Food began feeding residents of Western North Carolina and northern South Carolina and continues to do so. The Asheville-based home delivery grocer’s services have gone further to address the worsening situation. food insecurity problemA development spurred by major events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and Tropical Storm Helene.
On November 1st, Mother Earth Food will discontinue its services due to permanent business closure.
“Although we tried everything possible, the loss of Hurricane Helene and losing the HOP/Medicaid program was too much in one year,” CEO and co-founder Andrea DuVall wrote in a newsletter distributed to customers and supporters on Oct. 7.
Volunteers unload fresh fruits and vegetables from a delivery truck at Barnardsville Baptist Church on June 12, 2025 in Barnardsville.
Health Opportunities Pilot Medicaid program Ended on June 30After not being included in the House and Senate proposed budgets for fiscal years 2025-2027 put forward by the N.C. General Assembly.
Mother Earth Food has partnered with several food service nonprofits in the area to help distribute food and meals with ingredients sourced from local farms.
“Mother Earth Food truly represented my prayer for the kind of future I fully believe is possible, where the food we eat reconnects us with the sanctity of life. It has been such an honor to be able to feed you and yours from local farms we love and trust,” DuVall said in the news release. he said.
DuVall in June He told the Citizen Times He said he is concerned that eliminating the program would have a ripple effect, starting with Medicaid clients who will no longer be able to receive services, and further affecting utilities and farms that provide food.
Volunteers unload fresh fruits and vegetables from a delivery truck at Barnardsville Baptist Church on June 12, 2025 in Barnardsville.
DuVall noted in his message that the company has invested more than $9 million in small local farms over the past 13 years.
More than 800 boxes per week were lost after the cut of the Medicaid program, which was originally funded through 2027, he said. About the program, he said that after Helene, it was the runway that the company needed to rebuild and diversify.
“These dollars have supported our farming families, created farm jobs, preserved farmland, and fueled our local food economy,” DuVall wrote.
Those looking for ways to support Mother Earth Food in its final weeks should purchase more local food from the company through October, DuVall said. A virtual “donation” box will be available on the business’s website for customers to purchase a box of fresh local produce to be delivered to a food-starved family in the community.
Other donations can be sent via Venmo @motherearthfood29.
“Thank you again for your love and support over the years. My commitment to this mission will continue. Everything I have learned has strengthened my desire to work on systemic food system change,” DuVall said.
For more, visit: motherearthfood.com and email your questions to andrea@motherearthfood.com.
Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Tips, comments, questions? Email tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow @PrincessOfPage on Instagram. Sign up for our weekly food and drink newsletter, AVL Bites and Brews, here.
This article first appeared in the Asheville Citizen Times: Mother Earth Food to close after Helene and Medicaid cuts
