Christian Appalachian Project (CAP) celebrated the grand opening and ribbon cutting of CAP’s second food pantry on June 28. Eagle Food Pantry will fight hunger and feed hope for children, families, and seniors in Parkers Lake, McCreary County. Since beginning distributions in May, 61 households have signed up for the pantry’s services, with more being added each week.

“CAP always looks to meet the needs of the communities we serve,” said Joseph Beaudoin, pantry manager. “We want to listen to the people we serve, take their ideas, and find programming that best suits their needs. We listened to our community, and we saw that another pantry was needed.”

The food insecurity rate in McCreary County is 30.7 percent, one of the highest in the state. Around 93 percent of families in McCreary County are eligible for income-based nutrition programs. Even still, many people in the county are unsure of where their next meal will come from.

There is not a grocery store in the Parkers Lake area, leaving those who live there to rely on prepackaged foods or fast-food style meals that are available. With a mission of reducing physical and spiritual hunger in McCreary County, Eagle Food Pantry will work alongside two other pantries in the county. They will partner together to provide nutritious foods to as many children, families, and seniors as possible. Eagle Food Pantry is also working closely with the local extension office on community initiatives such as providing recipe cards for the foods distributed in the pantry boxes.

In the months to come, Eagle Food Pantry’s staff look to assist local schools with the backpack program, much like CAP’s Grateful Bread Food Pantry works to do in Rockcastle County. The staff also plans to distribute commodity boxes to seniors in the community. They will work with CAP’s Elderly Services Program to ensure the pantry is able to provide seniors with the foods they need.

“We are happy to celebrate this addition to CAP’s services in Appalachia,” said Guy Adams, CAP President/CEO. “For nearly 60 years CAP has continued to listen to and meet the needs of our participants, all while building hope, transforming lives, and sharing Christ’s love through service in Appalachia.”