By Brianna Stephens 

You never know who’s battling hunger. 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 Christian Appalachian Project (CAP) is raising awareness about food insecurity in Appalachia through the organization’s annual Hunger Walk event.   

This year through Hunger Walk, CAP hopes to collect 25,000 pounds of food and raise $19,700, which represents the 19.7% of people in Appalachia facing food insecurity.  

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 partner pantry, Water Into Wine, in Magoffin County.  

“There is so much we can do, all of us, to combat the flame that is hunger…,” said Ella Bussell, president of the Honors Club at Rockcastle County High School. Students in the Honors Club have served at Grateful Bread for several years. “You are never fully aware of another’s situation in life. You may not know when your neighbor is struggling the most, so when in doubt choose to be kind and please support your community in this fight to end hunger.” 

In recent years the event has expanded beyond Rockcastle County into Fayette County and McCreary County. This year for the first time a walk will be hosted in Floyd County on the campus of Big Sandy Community and Technical College (BSCTC) by the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.  

"Our Phi Theta Kappa honor students are really excited to help with the Hunger Walk and to help spread the word about what this event is all about,” said Diana Pack, an adviser for the honor society and a business instructor at BSCTC. “Food insecurity is a real problem in our area, and we even see many college students that struggle to put food on their table. Our organization wants to do whatever we can to help alleviate this stress that so many in our area face." 

While this year’s in-person event takes place Sept. 21, anyone can recognize 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 #HungerWalk2023 and tagging us, @ChrisAppProj.