Feeding, Healing, Educating, and Celebrating Community: ASHHO’s Vision for Belonging
When visitors walk into the ASHHO Cultural Community Center in Tumwater, they’re immediately greeted with warmth — the aroma of soul food, the sound of laughter, and the unmistakable feeling of belonging. For Executive Director Khurshida Begum, ASHHO (which means “Come” in Bangla) is much more than a community center. It’s a living, breathing embodiment of her lifelong mission:
“We are on a mission to feed, heal, educate, and celebrate our community through soul food, gatherings, and job training programs,” says Khurshida.
Founded in the midst of the pandemic, ASHHO began as a small community feeding effort from Khurshida’s home kitchen. When soup kitchens shut down and families across Thurston County were struggling, Khurshida asked herself one question: “What is one thing I can do for humanity at this time?” Her answer — to feed people — sparked a movement. Since 2020, ASHHO has donated over 13,000 culturally inspired meals to people in need.
Today, ASHHO’s work has grown into a thriving social enterprise. Revenue from the Runia Soul Café and catering services fuels the organization’s nonprofit initiatives — from culinary job training and mental health workshops to cultural celebrations that uplift the voices and stories of marginalized communities.
“We believe every person who walks through our doors should see themselves represented,” says Khurshida. “Whether you’re Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Asian, Indigenous, Black, or white — there should be something that tells you, ‘I belong here.’”
"College Spark gave us the freedom and autonomy to decide what was most important for our community at that moment,” says Khurshida. “That kind of trust is rare — and powerful.”
Healing Through Food and Connection
The center’s four guiding pillars — Feed, Heal, Educate, Celebrate — shape every program and event. The free monthly community healing workshops bring people together over food to talk about mental health, grief, parenting, boundaries, and hope. ASHHO’s Culinary and Hospitality Job Training Program offers trauma-informed training and life skills to community members seeking stability and purpose.
Zazil, ASHHO’s Executive Assistant, described what first drew her to the organization: “The moment I walked into the building, it was like this energy of joy, belonging, unity. Everyone was smiling and kind. You can feel that this is a place where people can just be who they are.”
For her, ASHHO represents something deeper: “As an immigrant, I’ve never had a place where my ancestors were honored and held in such high regard. To walk into a place every day where I’m celebrated for being me — it’s life-changing.”
From Vision to Transformation
College Spark Washington first learned about ASHHO through Erin Jones, a former College Spark Trustee and longtime educator who has been involved with the center since its founding. When her term on the College Spark Board ended, Erin chose ASHHO to receive a trustee-directed community grant.
“Everything College Spark stands for — equity, belonging, supporting people in the margins — ASHHO lives that out every day,” Erin said. “This is a place where people come to get resources, access training, and feel seen. It’s exactly the kind of community-centered transformation that College Spark believes in.”
The unrestricted nature of the grant allowed ASHHO to direct funds where they were most needed — an approach Khurshida called “a huge gift.”
“College Spark gave us the freedom and autonomy to decide what was most important for our community at that moment,” she said. “That kind of trust is rare — and powerful.”
“Every community deserves a place like this. A place that feeds your body and your soul, where you are safe, seen, and celebrated.”
Creating Pathways and Possibility
The impact of ASHHO’s programs is clear in stories like Colin’s, the first graduate of the job training program to be hired at Runia Soul Café.
“I came here not knowing anything about cooking,” he said. “Now I can make meals from scratch, eat healthier, and share that with my family. I’m growing in ways I never thought I could.”
That sense of transformation — personal and collective — mirrors College Spark’s mission to support equitable educational and career pathways that prepare Washington students for success after high school. Both organizations believe in breaking barriers, building belonging, and ensuring that every person has the opportunity to thrive.
“Our diversity as a community is our superpower. Spaces like ASHHO remind us that when we come together — across race, faith, gender, and politics — we discover our shared humanity.” Erin Jones
Continuing the Work
As ASHHO continues to grow, the vision is expansive: to see centers like it across the state and beyond.
“Every community deserves a place like this,” said Zazil. “A place that feeds your body and your soul, where you are safe, seen, and celebrated.”
Through the support of partners like College Spark Washington, ASHHO is proving that investing in community-rooted organizations creates ripples of impact — nourishing both the people they serve and the systems that sustain them.
Watch the video to hear directly from the people behind ASHHO — and see how food, healing, and connection are transforming lives in Tumwater and beyond.
