Christian Appalachian Project (CAP) recently broke ground on the new Jackson County Food Pantry. The new facility is being built on the same site as the current pantry at 1257 McCammon Ridge Road.

“The new pantry building will allow us to have more space, provide additional services, operate more efficiently, and offer both a shopping experience for participants and a drive-thru option,” said Carolyn Lindsey, director of CAP’s human services programming in Rockcastle, Jackson, and McCreary Counties.

For nearly 40 years, the pantry was led by Joyce Marks, who dedicated herself daily to serving Jackson County residents with kindness, compassion, and tireless energy. Before her passing in January of this year, Marks began a partnership with CAP, ensuring her work in Jackson County would continue. Since the pantry’s transition to CAP earlier this year, the organization has maintained operations, provided two full-time employees, and developed plans for the new, expanded facility.

“We want to honor Joyce’s legacy by providing the same services in a way that she did with dignity and respect,” Lindsey added. “She respected and loved her community, and we will honor that by doing the same. We will make sure that she is remembered.”

The pantry currently serves around 650 families each month and has made a significant impact on many Jackson County residents, including Kentucky State Representative Tim Truett. When Tim was a child, his father would visit the pantry each week to see Marks, who always sent him home with cornflakes. This was his favorite item to share with his two sons.

“This place has been wonderful for not only my family and me but for everyone in this community,” Truett said. “I’m thankful for CAP and everybody taking part in this. Her legacy will continue on. I guarantee it.”

The growth and ongoing mission of the pantry are testaments to the power of partnerships. Jenny Parker, Marks’s daughter and the current pantry coordinator through CAP, expressed gratitude, at the groundbreaking, for the many hands that make the pantry’s work possible, including partners like God’s Pantry Food Bank. Also in attendance were Judge Executive Shane Gabbard and County Jailer Brian Gabbard, who provides support to the pantry by organizing volunteers from the detention center to unload trucks and help stock shelves. 

“We are here every day to empower people, to transform lives, and to share Christ’s love. We do this every day through our pantry staff and our partners and our volunteers who come to serve,” Parker said.

“People carry away more than just a box of food from this pantry,” Parker added. “That’s what we’re doing. That’s what my momma did. That’s what we’re going to continue to do to the best of our ability.”

John Marks, a son of Joyce Marks, serves as vice president of JMBA Inc., the company responsible for building the new pantry. The construction project is slated for completion in early 2026. 

The Jackson County Food Pantry continues to operate from its original building during construction. The pantry is open from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Thursday (closed for lunch from noon-12:45 p.m.) and can be reached by calling 606.287.8336.