Imagine going to work or to school without breakfast…Or preparing for a job interview, only to find that your car won’t start because it needs a repair you are unable to afford.
Thanks to outreach grants from the Church of the Good Shepherd along with its partners, Highlands Emergency Council, Circles of Cashiers-Glenville, Cashiers Car Care Initiative, people in these situations are finding the help they need to move forward.
This year the Church of the Good Shepherd is awarding $490,069 in Outreach Grants to 47 organizations, including seven new recipients, across the Cashiers–Highlands Plateau. These funds, made possible through sales at the Church owned Bazaar Barn in Cashiers, support practical needs such as meals, transportation, and family assistance—small but vital steps that make a lasting difference in people’s lives.
“Our generous congregation raised the money to purchase the Bazaar Barn two years ago and the Outreach Grants Committee is responsible for the yearly distribution of all net proceeds made at the Bazaar Barn,” said Fred Halback, Senior Warden and Outreach Grants Committee Chair. “Our work serves in a way that models our Church’s mission statement of Reflecting God’s Love Through our Faith in Action.”
Guided by Matthew 25:35–36, the outreach program supports 501(c)(3) organizations working in food insecurity, shelter and housing, healthcare and wellness, human services, education, and environmental protection – primarily serving the Plateau.
Over the past 38 years, the church has awarded more than $3.7 million in outreach grants, strengthening our community and offering hope and dignity.
2025 Church of the Good Shepherd Outreach Grant Recipients
Adults Working & Advocating for Kids Empowerment (AWAKE)
The Bascom
Big Brothers/Big Sisters
Blue Ridge Free Dental Clinic
Blue Ridge Health
Blue Ridge School
Boys/Girls Club of the Plateau
Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society
Cashiers Historical Society
Cashiers United Methodist Church
Cashiers Valley Community Chorus
Cashiers Valley Preschool
Center for Domestic Peace (REACH)
Circles Cashiers-Glenville
Community Care Clinic
Community Table
Counseling Center of Highlands
Education Task Force Vision Cashiers
Fishes & Loaves
Four Seasons, The Care You Trust
Free Rein Center
Friends of Panthertown
Friends of the Library – Cashiers AC Library
Glenville-Cashiers Rescue Squad
The Hampton School
Haven of Transylvania County
Housing Equity Resources & Education (HERE) in Jackson County
Highlands Biological Foundation
Highlands/Cashiers Land Trust
Highlands Emergency Council
Helping Inspire Gifts of Hope, Trust, & Service (HIGHTS)
Highlands Community Child Dev. Center
Highlands PAC Educational Theatre
International Friendship Center
Jackson Neighbors in Need (Mtn Projects)
Jr. Appalachian Musicians Blue Ridge (JAM)
Literacy Council of Cashiers
Ministry of Hope (chaplains in prison)
Muddy Sneakers
Pisgah Legal Services
Rolling Start NC
Shelter Available for Family Emergencies (SAFE)
Sol & Son Dual Language Academy
Summit Charter School
United Christian Ministries
Vecinos
The Village Green
Favorites Count: 0