By Brianna Stephens

As Christian Appalachian Project (CAP) celebrates 60 years of service, we continue to seek ways to serve more and to serve better. In Appalachia, 1 in 5 people face food insecurity, which impacts far too many children, their families, and seniors in the region each year.  

September is Hunger Action Month, and CAP is raising awareness about food insecurity in Appalachia through our annual Hunger Walk event. This year through Hunger Walk, CAP is striving to collect 25,000 pounds of food and raise $20,000. The mission of Hunger Walk is to collect food items and funds to help CAP’s food pantry network continue to fight hunger and feed hope in Appalachia. CAP’s food pantries include Grateful Bread Food Pantry in Rockcastle County, Eagle Food Pantry in McCreary County, and a pantry partner, Water Into Wine, in Magoffin County.  

As we reflect on our 60-year history, we are grateful for the many individuals and partner agencies who have been a part of our mission of building hope, transforming lives, and sharing Christ’s love through service in Appalachia.  

For more than 16 years, Lillie Bullock has volunteered to serve her neighbors in need through our Grateful Bread Food Pantry.  “I love what CAP does. Without this pantry, people in our community would go hungry,” she said. “We serve a lot of through the pantry, especially senior citizens and children.” 

Partners like Rockcastle County Schools, which has been a part of the Hunger Walk event since its inception, connects children and their families to critical resources and services. The Family Resource Youth Service Center in Rockcastle County strives to remove obstacles for student success and works with CAP’s programs to meet the basic needs of families. 

“Youth Services has always been good to coordinate with CAP. It’s hard to fund all the clothes and food, so we’re glad that CAP is there to help with that,” said J.D. Bussell, principal of Rockcastle County High School.     

In recent years, Hunger Walk has expanded beyond Rockcastle County into Fayette County, McCreary County, and to the campus of Big Sandy Community and Technical College (BSCTC) in Floyd County. 

While this year’s in-person event takes place Sept. 19, anyone can get involved with Hunger Action Month throughout September. Visit christianapp.org/hungerwalk to learn how you can get involved. You can also share photos with us on social media by using the hashtag #HungerWalk2024 and tagging us, @ChrisAppProj.