In the week leading up to the Day of Prayer, CAP employees and volunteers signed up for daily prayer slots.  These were 15-minute intervals in which people across CAP would volunteer to pray.  The intention was that someone at CAP would be praying 24 hours a day during the week prior to the celebration.  Each day was outlined with a particular area of focus:

April 26 – Pray for our Participants
April 27 – Pray for our Donors
April 28 – Pray for our Volunteers
April 29 – Pray for our Employees
April 30 – Pray for our Partners
May 1 – Pray for CAP Leadership
May 2 – Pray for Appalachia

On May 3, CAP had the opportunity to hear from a speaker and set aside some intentional time to pray for individual requests of each program and particular participants in dire need whom we are serving.

One CAP employee writes:

It seems that the last 6 months of my life has been one personal tragedy after another and I see from reading the prayer requests each day that a lot of you are going through some things as well. But, the one thing that I know and I know that you know is that the Lord has always been there and always will be there and for that we give Him praise!

“Participants love it,” says Peggy Hancock, Program Manager.  The new location gives participants more pride in the store.  “We want participants to come in and feel like they are shopping in a nice department store or supermarket.”  Women from CAP’s Healing Rain program work in the stores throughout the week creating display cases and organizing inventory.

While these are great perks of the new site, the biggest reason for the move was safety.  Many of the program participants are elderly and individuals with disabilities.  Our past location was built on an incline.  The parking lot was difficult to walk up, let alone direct a cart of groceries and clothing to your vehicle.  At times, participants would lose grip on the cart and it would roll down the slope.  At the new facility, the parking lot is flat which allows for an easier exit, but also better access for deliveries.

At the previous location, there was no loading dock for food and clothing drop-offs.  This became quite a challenge when trucks would come with surplus food for donation to the pantry.  The length of time it would take to unload a delivery would be much longer than expected due to the lack of accessibility.  The new loading dock allows for quicker, easier drop-offs of essentials such as food and clothing.

We are excited about the opportunities to serve those who come to this new facility.  We hope to reach those who have gone unreached and pray we’ll have enough to provide.  Please join with us in a prayer for our new site and the families, children, and seniors whom we are blessed to serve.

One participant who received home repairs was Jerry Arnold.  Jerry, 77, is well known in the county where he drove a truck delivering mail to the local post offices.  “He’s such a sweet man,” says Robyn Renner, CAP Housing Manager.  In recent years, he’s dealt with one challenge after another.  His wife passed away and he was diagnosed with cancer.  Through all his troubles, his spirit is still bright and his attitude is still positive.  He worked until he found out he had cancer.  Then, his whole focus was on surviving.  The news was devastating, but he wouldn’t let cancer win.  After a difficult battle, he proved victorious.

Now in his spare time he helps take care of his nephew who has had a stroke and visits his sister in the local nursing home.  Though Jerry’s arthritis is painful and makes it difficult to get around, he is dedicated to those in his family.  His home hadn’t received needed repairs in years and we couldn’t help but serve a man who is so dedicated and loving to others.  Jerry’s house had windows replaced and a ramp built to make it easier for him to enter his home.  Due to his arthritis Jerry needed his bathtub removed and a shower put in so he could more safely bathe.  It meant so much to him to have us come and be of service.  He was very grateful to the students for their hard work, and we are so grateful to you for your gifts to help people like Jerry.  Through your support, you are truly changing lives.