There are people and groups in every community that are movers and shakers. They see something that needs to be done, and they enlist others to contribute their time, talent, and capital to make it happen. The final product is an investment in the community itself that engenders pride, becomes a well-loved asset, contributes to quality of life, and even increases the economic viability of the region.  

On Saturday, September 7, we are celebrating organizations that work in each of our hometowns to activate volunteers around beautiful community assets. At the end of the day, each store will donate 10% of the day’s sales in support of its local partner, and guests can round up their purchases to the next dollar to provide extra support September 6-8.   

“We are proud to highlight the good work each of our Friends Day partners do in our local communities,” shared Lisa Cooper, Mast Store president. “We’ve celebrated and supported their efforts since 2008 because they are an important part of what makes our hometowns special to those who live there, as well as being warm and welcoming to visitors.”  

Here’s a look at the Friends we are supporting this year and some insight into the projects each of them is undertaking to make our communities even better.  

The Original Mast General Store, Mast Store Annex, Boone Mast Store, and Rivercross Made in USA, our sister store, are hosting The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. The Blue Ridge Parkway offers scenic views, recreational opportunities, and cultural attractions to motorists, hikers, and campers. The BRPF supplements park system resources and enhances visitors’ experiences by supplying critical funding for the maintenance of recreational areas like trails and picnic shelters, the conservation of natural resources, and the preservation of historic sites along the 469-mile stretch of road crossing Virginia and North Carolina.  

The Winston-Salem Mast General Store is partnering with Gateway Nature Preserve, a 19-acre urban wildlife habitat just a mile from Downtown Winston-Salem. It offers a trail network, pollinator garden, and educational nature-themed programs for people of all ages. Working with schools, local citizen groups, and environmentalists in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, the Gateway Nature Preserve is finding new ways to move toward a more sustainable world.   

The Pisgah Conservancy is the partner with the Asheville and Hendersonville Mast Store locations. This group preserves the natural resources and scenic beauty of the Pisgah Ranger District and enhances the recreational experience of all visitors to the Pisgah National Forest by providing critical funding for trail maintenance and development, educating the public about its vital waterways and aquatic wildlife, restoring forests by removing invasive plant species, and improving wildlife habitats.  

In Hendersonville, the store welcomes friends from the Ecusta Trail. This group aims to convert an abandoned railway into a proposed 19.4-mile, multi-use greenway to serve as a "new cultural main street" connecting communities, promoting health, enriching the quality of life and the economy for everyone in the area. The trail/park would connect Hendersonville and Brevard. 

The Knoxville and Waynesville Mast General Stores are partnering with Friends of the Smokies. The Friends of the Smokies is the official nonprofit partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Its work supplements national park programs and provides resources for projects that would otherwise go unfunded, including the rehabilitation of popular trails, preservation of historic structures, and conservation of wildlife habitats.  

The Friends of the Reedy River is the partner of the Greenville Mast Store. For more than 30 years, this group has provided outreach to the Greenville community as the “voice of the river.” It offers events to improve the health of the river and its watershed by creating pollution reporting programs, garnering crowd-sourced observations on failing streambanks, developing floodplain improvement projects, advocating for environmentally sustainable urban development, and hosting two major, volunteer-driven river clean-up initiatives each year.  

The Columbia Mast General Store will partner with the Palmetto Conservation Foundation. The primary project of the PCF is the Palmetto Trail, which provides free public access to nearly 400 miles of passages across 14 counties from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Lowcountry. It features wilderness and backcountry trails, urban bikeways, greenways, rail-to-trail conversions, city sidewalks, and even the steps of the State Capitol. Palmetto Conservation’s Finish the Trail campaign generates funds to connect the completed portion of the trail to its eventual terminus in Upstate South Carolina. 

FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge is our Mast Store’s Roanoke partner. This Roanoke-based nonprofit engages residents and visitors with the Blue Ridge region of Virginia and North Carolina through natural conservation, historic preservation, cultural programming, and volunteer efforts. Its 11 chapters directly serve their mountain communities and host a Future Stewards program to instill a love of the Blue Ridge in young people and to encourage volunteerism by people of all ages. 

The volunteers and paid staff with each of these organizations “get things done.” Join us on September 7 as we celebrate our Friends in all Mast Store locations. Stop in to learn about other ways you can help by donating funds or giving your own time and talents.