ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The Western North Carolina VA Health Care System and the Mountain Home VA Health Care System, based in Johnson City, Tennessee, collectively donated 47,100 pounds of food through the annual Mountain Cup Challenge food drive.
The challenge began in 2023. Since then, the VA systems have donated 173,938 pounds of food, or 145,000 meals, the WNC VA said in a press release.
The 2026 edition of the challenge culminated on Monday, Aug. 3, when final weigh-ins were conducted to determine how many pounds per employee the two teams collected. WNC VA prevailed with 11.35 PPE, marking the third straight victory for the organization.
“Three years in a row for WNC is an accomplishment, but the greater achievement is the compassion our employees show year after year. There’s something incredibly powerful about watching a workforce already dedicated to public service choose to serve beyond their existing roles of service,” said Alexa Dunavan, Organizational Health Coordinator for the WNC VA, in the release.
“Serving Veterans is our mission, and we’re proud to live and work alongside our neighbors in the counties of Western North Carolina. During the Mountain Cup, our staff continually rise to the challenge—not just for Veterans, but for everyone in our community,” added Stephanie Young, executive director of the WNC VA.
Despite the WNC VA victory, Mountain Home VA increased their contribution by approximately 6,000 pounds from the year prior, according to Martina Malek, medical center director of the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center.
“In the end, the true winners of this challenge are the communities we serve, and the lives touched by our collective generosity,” Malek said.
MANNA FoodBank emphasized the important role food drives play in the region.
“At MANNA, we see every day how hard our neighbors are working to keep food on the table. We also see the difficult reality facing food banks across the country, as the need for food assistance continues to grow while many traditional sources of donated food are not keeping pace. That is why the Mountain Cup Challenge matters so deeply,” said Claire Neal, CEO of MANNA Food Bank. “The VA community has transformed an employee food drive into a lifeline for thousands of people, including veterans, seniors, children, and families still navigating the long road of recovery in our region.”
For more information about the Western North Carolina VA Health Care System, visit www.va.gov/asheville-health-care.
