This week, I was privileged to visit the Goshen Project, a nonprofit in Logan, West Virginia. The Goshen Project was started by two women, Elizabeth and Kim, who felt called to do something about the hungry children in their area. Many of the children who receive help from the Goshen Project depend on the lunch they get everyday at school for their primary source of nutrition. When the weekend comes, they are in need of help from another source—and that’s when the Goshen Project steps in. They stuff backpacks with food and other necessities for at risk kids to take home from school with them on Friday afternoons, to make sure they eat over the weekend.

Childhood hunger is an atrocity; but Elizabeth and Kim are heroes because they have done something about it. Because of them, there will be kids that go to college because they had enough nutrition to survive and thrive in school. Because of them, there are children who know that someone loves them and wants what’s best for them. That’s priceless.

In other news, I got to visit with some of the YouthFest volunteers last week! I even got to use a Sawzall! (Or, according to people in elderly housing, “An Earthquake in Your Hands.”) For someone who typically works in an office, this was a big deal! Don’t worry, I didn’t ruin any of the beautiful ramps that the volunteers were working on—I was supervised the entire time by my housemate Caitlin.

Two of my housemates, Eric and Kelly, getting some help from our Volunteer Manager, Harold, in building a YouthFest ramp

More posts to come! We have some new housemates joining us at Johnson House soon, so there will be plenty to blog about!

Catherine Mack is a volunteer in CAP's Community Development Department. She lives in Johnson Volunteer House.