Kentucky nonprofit partners with nearly 1,200 agencies throughout Appalachia as well as Missouri and Arkansas to annually support more than a million and a half people in need.
By: Tina Bryson
Appalachia (February 16, 2021) – Christian Appalachian Project’s (CAP) 56th year of building hope, transforming lives, and sharing Christ’s love through service in Appalachia was a challenging one. Yet, CAP has just published its 2020 Annual Report detailing the blessings of hope through programs and services which have impacted the lives of thousands served in Appalachia while combating the economic downturn brought on by COVID-19.
“Just like other charitable organizations, businesses, and everyday citizens around the world, CAP needed to adjust and adapt to operating during the time of a global pandemic,” said Guy Adams, President/CEO of CAP. “Thanks to the thoughtful prayers and generous charitable support from donors around the world, our employees and volunteers were able to rise above the challenges to continue to serve people in need in Appalachia, in safe, creative, and effective ways.”
Through 16 direct human service programs in Eastern Kentucky, CAP staff impacted 12,928 participants.
Children, their families, and seniors received a variety of assistance during these difficult times including:
▪ 1,448 people who received critical, emergency, and family-oriented community service through the Family Advocacy Program;
▪ 8,723 transactions recorded at the Grateful Threadz Thrift Store for clothing and other essential items;
▪ 6,437 participants served at the Grateful Bread Food Pantry in Rockcastle County and partner pantry, Water Into Wine in Magoffin County;
▪ 511 low-income or at-risk family members received professional counseling services; and
▪ 3,362 students received in-school curriculum, tutoring, mentoring, and leadership training.
Corporate partners play a critical role in helping CAP fulfil its mission and serve the people of Appalachia. “It is rewarding to see the impact CAP makes on the community and knowing that through our relationship and partnership with them we are helping with that,” said Paintsville Lowe’s store manager Candy Bates. Click here to read more about this amazing partnership. More than 550 volunteers like Bates gave of their time and talent this year.
“Our Christian faith should lead us to respond as caring neighbors to those in need wherever they may live,” said Betty Jones, Ph.D., a volunteer from Midland, Michigan. “Our partnership with CAP has broadened our perspectives of what poverty and need can look like,” she said. Volunteers like Jones helped CAP rebuild and/or repair 229 Appalachian homes.
2020 also marked the 35th Anniversary of CAP’s Operation Sharing warehouse, which distributed nearly $106 million in corporate gifts-in-kind donations to 1,173+ partners in 13 Appalachian states, plus Missouri and Arkansas. CAP saw a 21.5 percent increase in donations since the start of the pandemic, including toys, mattresses, and food, which impacted 1.5 million individuals indirectly.
Message from CAP President & CEO Guy Adams: https://vimeo.com/511581094
The 2020 Annual Report with additional impact stories can be read or downloaded at: www.issuu.com/themountainspirit
To schedule an interview with CAP President/CEO Guy Adams, or learn more about the volunteers, board members, corporate partners, or employees mentioned in the Annual Report, please contact Tina Bryson at 859.270.1776 or tbryson@chrisapp.org.
