There are more than 150 faith-based organizations that accept full-time volunteers. When one includes Peace Corps and AmeriCorps opportunities, the options where a volunteer could serve in the U.S. or abroad seem endless. So why would a person choose to volunteer in Appalachia? It’s probably not the social scene, although our volunteers do find plenty of enjoyment in attending local festivals and camping in state and national parks. We know it’s not the money, and we can’t offer a masters degree. Our volunteers are called to these mountains for a variety of reasons, but most often because of the severity of the poverty here and their desire to be the hands and feet of Christ in a region that is often overlooked by the rest of America.
The economic distress of Appalachia is undeniable, and in the region CAP volunteers serve, it is thoroughly persistent. In 1964, President Johnson declared his famous “War on Poverty” after touring the most impoverished areas of eastern Kentucky. Suddenly, the attention of the federal government and average citizens fell on Appalachia, and dollars and volunteers flowed into the region. Though there are certainly many factors that contribute to the economic success or failure of a region, Appalachia has seen a dramatic improvement since the War on Poverty began. In 1960, 295 of Appalachia’s 420 counties had poverty rates more than 1.5 times the national average. Today, 116 counties have that dubious distinction. But, as the map below shows, 44 of those counties are in eastern Kentucky.
Owsley County, the poorest county in Kentucky and a county in which Christian Appalachian Project’s Housing, Family Advocacy and Elderly Services programs are actively involved, provides an illustration of the economic challenges the families we serve face. In Owsley County, the per capita annual income is $9,849, and the poverty rate was 45.4% in 2000. The three-year average unemployment rate is 8.6%, which is 179.1% of the national average. Many more adults are discouraged workers—meaning they have stopped seeking employment due to lack of opportunity—and are not counted in unemployment statistics. Owsley County has the highest poverty rate by far, but other counties in which our volunteers serve have even higher unemployment rates and lower per capita income levels. No matter where you are in CAP’s service area, you will find amazing, hard-working people who live in conditions that would be appalling to most Americans, and must overcome barriers to employment and educational attainment that most of us do not have to face.
Why has poverty in eastern Kentucky become so entrenched while other areas have shown improvement? The answers to this question are complex and are almost always fodder for political debate, even in our own volunteer communities. But what we do know is that such need cries out for a Christian response. In 1964, the same year the federal government declared the War on Poverty, Christian Appalachian Project officially incorporated as a nonprofit organization, beginning our Christian response to poverty in the region. Today, CAP volunteers are actively involved in 11 of the red counties above. Through hands-on, relationship-based service, our volunteers demonstrate compassion as Henri Nouwen defined it—“going directly to those people and places where suffering is most acute and building a home there.” CAP volunteers live in the communities in which they serve, rejecting the convenience of urban living for a life of repairing substandard homes, teaching children, visiting the elderly, caring for persons with disabilities, advocating for the abused, feeding the hungry, strengthening communities, walking with women in substance abuse recovery and providing emergency assistance to families in crisis. It’s not a glamorous life, but their service is a beautiful reflection of faith seeking discipleship.
Appalachia is far from a hopeless place, and the poverty here is certainly not comparable to poverty one finds in developing nations. But in a nation of much wealth, Christians cannot accept the existence of a region where hunger, lack of education and unsafe housing are still commonplace. That’s why our volunteers chose Appalachia, and we hope that’s why you will apply to join us.
To learn more about Appalachia, visit the Appalachian Regional Commission
