In The NEWS

CESO employees repair home for Appalachian family

In October, a group of employees from CESO partnered with CAP to help a family of five who needed renovations to their home and an addition. The repairs were too extensive and expensive for the family to do alone. CESO is a comprehensive firm, headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, with offices across the country, that provides surveying, civil engineering, environmental, land planning, and architecture services. The company financed the project and brought staff from five of their seven offices to volunteer with CAP and spent a week installing new flooring, windows, and doors, as well as completing preliminary work on the addition. The doublewide needed a porch on the front and back to provide safe access in and out, in addition to insulation, kitchen and ceiling repairs, a step-in shower, and a new septic system.

Carson-Myre Charitable Foundation named 2021 Philanthropist of the Year

CAP named Carson-Myre Charitable Foundation as its 2021 Philanthropist of the Year. Since 2012, Carson-Myre has provided substantial, critical support to CAP and those who face poverty in Appalachia. The foundation was started in 1997 by Jane Carson-Myre to carry on her family’s legacy of generosity. The foundation supports Christian outreach programs in ministry, education, and aid to people in need. While the foundation has worked primarily to improve life in Western Kentucky, they have extended their service to support efforts to improve the lives of people in need in Eastern Kentucky. “Gifts from our supporters like Carson-Myre Charitable Foundation allow Christian Appalachian Project to extend a community of care to people who need basics like food, clothing, and shelter,” said Dennis Jacobs, CAP’s senior foundations officer. “These partnerships are integral to the work we do.”

CAP’s Family Advocacy Program makes Christmas possible for 471 families

In December, Christmas was made possible for 471 families (1,003 children and 702 adults) during the annual Christmas distributions hosted by CAP’s Family Advocacy Program. This was the second year for the drive-thru events because of the pandemic’s ongoing restrictions. Six teens who are a part of CAP’s Teen Leadership program, a component of CAP’s Youth Empowerment Services Program, helped decorate and assemble 216 Christmas goody bags for the drive-thru distribution for Johnson, Martin, and Floyd Counties. In Jackson County, Annie F. Downs, an author, podcast host, and speaker, volunteered alongside CAP staff to distribute Christmas gifts and hams to families.

Eagle Food Pantry expands facilities in McCreary

Shortly after Eagle Food Pantry opened in McCreary County, Kentucky, to serve the Parkers Lake community in June 2021, ground broke on an expansion of the facility. The expansion includes a 2,760 square foot facility that will have offices, a covered area for drive-thru service, a shopping area that will provide participants the opportunity to select what they need for their families, freezer space for perishable items like meats, and a loading dock to accommodate large deliveries for the pantry. When the pantry opened, staff estimated at least 800 families in the area faced food insecurity. A group of 20 volunteers led by

Steve Tate, a CAP donor and volunteer, made substantial progress on the expansion in November. Tate brings a team of volunteers at least twice a year to volunteer with CAP’s Facilities Management staff to complete capital improvements that free up funds that CAP can then use for direct human service programs.

Grateful Bread Food Pantry donates 5,000 pounds of food to devastated pantry before holidays

Less than two weeks before Thanksgiving, Garrard County Food Pantry, in Lancaster, Kentucky, suffered a total loss after a fire. In response to the devastation, CAP’s Grateful Bread Food Pantry reallocated food collected by students and staff at Rockcastle County Schools and Lexington Christian Academy during its annual Hunger Walk. The event collects food and funds to address food insecurity, and help meet the needs in Appalachian communities. Alongside the contributions of other organizations and agencies, Grateful Bread staff and volunteers delivered 5,000 pounds of food to Garrard County to help ensure children, their families, and seniors in the community would have meals throughout the holiday season.