By Kacie Renfro 

An organization is only as strong as its people. For Christian Appalachian Project (CAP), volunteers are the lifeblood of the mission and allow CAP to serve more children, their families, and seniors in need in Appalachia. Many volunteers, like Ella Bussell, live in the communities CAP serves and understand the great needs that exist. 

“Every bit of service makes an impact,” said Bussell, a native of Rockcastle County and volunteer at CAP’s Grateful Bread Food Pantry, which serves more than 800 families in the community each month.  

Bussell is a freshman at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and participates in the RISE program, which encourages students to respond to the demands of justice while also exploring their sense of purpose in the world. The program requires students to complete 100 hours of service in their hometowns before the beginning of their freshman year.  

Grateful Bread Food Pantry is where Bussell chose to focus her energies and was exposed to elements of her community she never noticed before. Her work at the pantry included taking people shopping for groceries and attending a Chamber of Commerce meeting to present on CAP’s Hunger Walk, an annual event focused on bringing awareness to food insecurity in Appalachia. Her time with CAP provided her additional service opportunities in her own community.  

“Every day you see more and more just how big the need for service is in our community,” she said. “It’s really eye-opening to see how many people CAP serves and how I was able to help facilitate that help through CAP. Everybody is trying to help everybody, and I get to see how special that is in my community.” 

Bussell's sense of her hometown and community was broadened through service. “It was great to be so fully immersed in our culture, see people firsthand, and understand how special it is and how worthy this region is and how rich in culture it is,” she said.  

At college, Bussell hopes to advocate for Eastern Kentucky and Appalachia, disproving stereotypes and teaching others about the uniqueness of the region’s people and culture. “It is such a strong community where everyone loves everyone, and everyone helps everyone.”