The Lord Provides

BY OWEN PERRY

You can find the Jackson County Emergency Food Bank in McKee, Kentucky, tucked away on McCammon Ridge Road between the McKee Senior Citizens Center and the Jackson County Detention Center. As COVID-19 wreaked havoc on this vulnerable population, Joyce Marks, the food bank director, continued to keep the faith and meet community needs.

“COVID really affected the community,” said Marks, who at one time saw 900 people in one month served through the pantry. “When people got their extra unemployment checks and their extra food stamps, our numbers went down to about 500 people a month. It’s starting to climb again. Food stamps and stimulus are gone. Now, we are back to serving 12-20 families a day.”

Christian Appalachian Project (CAP) wanted to partner with the food bank since the community had been hit so hard by coronavirus. A nursing home in the county had been one of Kentucky’s hot spots in the pandemic and CAP’s Disaster Relief Program donated much-needed personal protective equipment including 269 Tyvek suits and 672 masks from Disaster Relief. Carolyn Lindsey, manager of CAP’s Elderly Services Program in Jackson, Rockcastle, and McCreary Counties, coordinated the delivery of items from CAP’s Operation Sharing warehouse to the Jackson County Emergency Food Bank.

“Having a food bank accessible to the community makes a huge difference in the lives of residents,” Lindsey said. “They don’t have to worry where their next meal will come from, they know that there are resources available for them. Knowing that you can access the help that you need when you need it is comforting and gives people peace of mind, especially parents and grandparents raising kids.”

Marks and her small staff rely on volunteers to keep the food bank running. Local churches and businesses have supported their efforts to make sure residents continue to have the resources that they need.

“People would go hungry if it were not for the food bank,” Marks said. The food bank has been in operation since 1986. “I have served several in the past few weeks that had nothing. One lady hadn’t had anything to eat in three days. She said she hated to ask for help.”

CAP refers many families who have food insecurities to the food bank through our Family Advocacy Program. Marks and Lindsey recognize the power of community partnerships.

“When we pool our resources, we can help meet more of the overall needs of the families and individuals we serve,” Lindsey noted. “Community partnerships help further CAP’s mission by allowing us to reach more people in need and focus more on the family as a whole, rather than just one specific need they may have at a time. It also helps all of us utilize our resources in a more substantial way when we work together.”

Marks agreed explaining how a partnership with the detention center down the road had provided them community service while also providing needed volunteers to unload trucks and help stock shelves. With this load, CAP staff from the Housing Program, the Volunteer Program, the Grateful Bread Food Pantry, and the Elderly Services Program joined together to help the Jackson County Emergency Food Bank.

“We need the help. The detention center is quarantined now because of COVID-19 restrictions and they can't volunteer and help us like they were doing before,” she said. “The Lord has truly blessed the food bank. It never ceases to amaze me that when things get low, some food comes in from somewhere. The Lord always sends you somebody.”

Joyce Marks, director of the Jackson County Emergency Food Bank, knows that what they provide can make the difference between residents having food or going hungry.

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