MT. VERNON, Ky. – (February 15, 2022) Christian Appalachian Project (CAP) is partnering with the Jobs for America’s Graduates Kentucky (JAG KY) program at Rockcastle County High School to help students learn important job skills through volunteer service. Students visited CAP’s Grateful Bread Food Pantry today to help distribute commodity food boxes to seniors in Rockcastle County.
“We are working together to help our neighbors and to help the students learn more about their community,” said Sherri Barnett, manager of CAP’s Grateful Bread Food Pantry. “Today we are helping them build leadership skills and team working abilities. This will help them to transition into the workplace.”
JAG KY serves the state’s most vulnerable youth who face challenges that are academic, economic, emotional, and social. JAG KY and its corporate partners are dedicated to reconnecting students academically by helping them overcome barriers to graduation and helping them transition into postsecondary education, the workforce, or the military after graduation.
This is the first year for the JAG program at Rockcastle County High School. Mikhael Shaffer, who oversees the program for the school, said JAG teaches students life and job skills, such as resume building, public speaking, how to work with a team or group, and communications skills.
“This is a great opportunity for these students to learn job and life skills, but to also serve their community,” Shaffer said. “Rockcastle County Schools has a long-standing partnership with CAP and Grateful Bread Food Pantry. Through our JAG program students have learned a lot from their service at the pantry and are improving their job and life skills with each visit they make.”
CAP’s Grateful Bread Food Pantry provides free, nutritious food to eligible families in Rockcastle County each month. Many families struggle with food insecurity and the pantry helps fill the gap to ensure everyone has access to essential food and necessities. In addition to these volunteer opportunities, Grateful Bread staff will also host mock interviews for the JAG students to practice their interviewing skills in the spring.
“JAG has helped teach me how to work hard and to never give up,” said Dawson Gibbons, an 11th grade student in the Rockcastle County High School JAG program. “I enjoy helping people and working with CAP. It makes me feel good knowing what I am doing is helping our community.”
