Taste the Holiday Love from Atlanta Bread!

Banana Nut, Cranberry Orange, Blueberry, Mocha Chocolate Chip, Caramel Apple Crunch... Um. Can you say nom?

Atlanta Bread is donating $1 of every loaf of $6.99 Holiday Bread to the American Red Cross.

So taste the holiday love, Asheville. It tastes really good.

Your Atlanta Bread locations are at 633 Merrimon Ave and 484 Hendersonville Road.

Go Red This Black Friday!

Another Thanksgiving. Another dining table filled with loved ones and favorite family recipes. Another football game. Another family sweater photograph. Another Black Friday to stand in line hour after hour.

Which one of these things doesn't belong?

There's a way to give this holiday season that doesn't require a trip to the mall or an hour long wait in line. It's the American Red Cross Holiday Giving Catalog and it's the perfect way to honor your friends and family with gifts that really matter.

Is you father a veteran? Consider ditching that Blu-Ray player for meaningful gift in his name: a calling card for members of our Armed Forces who are overseas, for example.

Do you have a family member who ever received aid from the Red Cross after a storm? Then consider honoring them with a gift that sponsors an Emergency Response Vehicle.

Have a kid in med school? Consider a nod to their future career by vaccinating children overseas in their name.

Yeah, iPods, Play Stations and Kindles are cool but consider giving a gift that really matters this holiday season.

It's Turkey (or Tofurkey) Time!

Oh Thanksgiving – time for friends, family, football, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and most importantly – TURKEY!

Although Thanksgiving isn’t until next week, we’re sure those of you who are in charge of this famous dinner centerpiece are madly looking at recipes, making multiple trips to the grocery store, and starting your prep cooking.

Did you know that the average number of house fires DOUBLES on Thanksgiving Day – cooking is the leading culprit of these fires…so you may not want to try and channel your inner Paula Dean, unless you’ve trained her well. One of the largest incidents of these home fires stems from the growing trend to deep fry turkeys. Deep frying seems like a good option because: 1) it takes a lot less time to cook the turkey than baking it and 2) you have a better chance of having a beautifully moist turkey; and if you’ve eaten your fair share of over-baked turkey, you may want to convert to the fryer.

To help you, our good friends at the Department of Homeland Security have some good advice for those attempting to fry turkeys

1. Turkey fryers should always be used outdoors a safe distance from buildings and any other flammable materials.
2. Never use turkey fryers in a garage or on a wooden deck.
3. Make sure the fryers are used on a flat surface to reduce accidental tipping.
4. Never leave the fryer unattended. Most units do not have thermostat controls. If you do not watch the fryer carefully, the oil will continue to heat until it catches fire.
5. Never let children or pets near the fryer even if it is not in use. The oil inside the cooking pot can remain dangerously hot hours after use.
6. To avoid oil spillover, do not overfill the fryer.
7. Use well-insulated potholders or oven mitts when touching pot or lid handles. If possible, wear safety goggles to protect your eyes from oil splatter.
8. Make sure the turkey is completely thawed and be careful with marinades. Oil and water do not mix, and water causes oil to spill over causing a fire or even an explosion hazard.
9. The National Turkey Federation (NTF) recommends thawing the turkey in the refrigerator approximately 24 hours for every five pounds in weight.
10. Keep an all-purpose fire extinguisher nearby. Never use water to extinguish a grease fire. If the fire is manageable, use your all-purpose fire extinguisher. If the fire increases, immediately call the fire department for help.

For the more visual learners, here is a video from State Farm of what can happen if you do not follow the proper guidelines for frying your turkey:

Downtown Mountain Mile: November 19

Looking for a way to hit the ground running this holiday season? We've got you covered.

On November 19, 2011, start the holiday season with a big finish in our 3rd Annual Downtown Mountain Mile. The one mile fun run and competitive race precedes the holiday parade so it's a chance to see and be seen in the Holiday Parade.



The theme at this year's downtown Holiday Parade is "Days Gone By." Runners and walkers are welcome to dress in costume to celebrate this theme or a more traditional holiday costume. But it's Asheville, why be traditional?

For more information, click here.
To register, click here or call (828) 258-3888, ext. 225.

A Red Cross Halloween

Halloween is sort of a big deal in our fair city of Asheville. It's no secret that we will take any excuse to play dress up and share a locally brewed cold one with friends. And with Halloween only a few days, we're guessing that you’ve already figured out your costume. But if time has gotten away from you this fall and you still don’t know what you’ll dress up as, here are a few Red Cross-themed costumes I’d recommend.

American Red Cross Nurse (circa 1940)

American Red Cross Volunteer (throw on a Red Cross t-shirt, jeans, and a lanyard and you’ll be all set)

Buddy Blood Drop (Let's be honest. He's a little creepy.)

Now that you’ve gotten your costume squared away, take a moment to review the Red Cross’ Lucky 13 Tips for a safe Halloween. Be sure to wear your Red proudly at one of these local Halloween events!

Trick or treat!

Note: If you choose to dress up in a Red Cross-themed costume, please keep in mind that you’re representing the organization and remember to respect its mission and fundamental principles. Thanks!

The Red Cross Centennial Ball: The Celebration of the Century

If you missed the Red Cross Centennial Ball, you missed the celebration of a century: figuratively and literally. See the photos below.














View the rest of the photos here.

80 Seconds

A woman holds up one of the few items that survived the fire that took her home in Chicago. Photo by Erica Barraca

Did you know that every 60 seconds*…

• More than 168 million emails are sent
• 695,000 status updates and 510,040 comments are published on Facebook
• Google serves more that 694,445 search queries
• More than 13,000 iPhone apps are downloaded
• 6,600 images are published on Flickr
• 600 videos (about 25 hours of content) are uploaded to YouTube

Seems impressive, but here’s another statistic: approximately every 80 seconds someone will lose their home to a fire. That’s more than 63,000 fires a year that Red Cross volunteers across the country will respond to.

October is National Fire Prevention Month, and our friends at the Chicago Red Cross has created a way for you to get a glimpse of what losing some of your cherished photo memories would feel like with their “Every 80 Seconds” campaign. With home fires, “things” can usually be replaced, but precious photos usually cannot. After you go through this, take a moment to make sure your home and family are Red Cross Ready.