Continued Growth

By Shannon Holbrook

The power of donor generosity and partnerships made through Christian Appalachian Project's (CAP) Operation Sharing program have continued to deliver hope and essential items to people in need in the region. Continuing the trend of recent years, Operation Sharing saw record-breaking numbers again this fiscal year.

“This fiscal year we had a total of more than $155 million in gift-in-kind donations,” said Aaron Thoms, manager of CAP’s Operation Sharing program in Paintsville. “That’s an astronomical number we never imagined we’d hit a few years ago.”

That value was seen in a total of 1,224 truckloads of donated goods—more than 100 truckloads a month on average. Thoms noted just 10 years ago, they had less than half of that gift-in-kind number, but many compassionate people responded generously to the need for help during the pandemic and after the July 2022 floods.

When natural disaster strikes in Appalachia, Operation Sharing responds to the immediate needs by distributing food, water, cleaning supplies, and other essential items to partner agencies to distribute to affected communities. In FY23, Operation Sharing distributed more than $11 million in essential items to Eastern Kentucky directly to aid in ongoing flood recovery efforts and provided an additional $5 million indirectly through recipient partners in flood-impacted counties.

“It has been over a year since the disaster, and we are still sending essential items to help people,” said Ben Ridner, manager of CAP’s Operation Sharing in Corbin. He and Thoms work together to distribute donated goods to partner agencies. “We wouldn't be able to provide targeted help to people in need without our partners. We are here for the long haul to help the families in these areas rebuild their lives.”

In addition to the continued efforts in flood relief for Eastern Kentucky, Operation Sharing sent four truckloads of donated goods to Pine Bluff, Arkansas, earlier this year to help with disaster relief efforts after a tornado tore through the central part of the state.

The program partners with a network of more than 1,300 nonprofit organizations, community-based agencies, schools, and churches throughout all 13 Appalachian states and two Ozark states, Missouri and Arkansas, to distribute donated goods to people in need. This year, Operation Sharing welcomed new partnerships with organizations including One More Child and Convoy of Hope.

They also strengthened existing partnerships, like the one that continues to grow with Good 360 and Toys for Tots. Over the summer, the partners sent nearly 60,000 toys to Operation Sharing to distribute to children in Appalachia.

In addition to the toys, Operation Sharing also included snacks, cleaning supplies, and other essential items in the toy distribution events for families. More than 10,000 children received toys through the partnership.

“Our distribution events were a remarkable celebration of compassion and generosity, leaving us in awe of the incredible impact we can have on children’s lives,” Ridner said.

“We're in the business of helping people lift themselves up,” Thoms added. “When we gave away toys, we didn’t just bring happiness. We ignited a chain reaction of positivity.”

For the upcoming year, the program hopes to build on their record-breaking year and is seeking more partners who can help provide and distribute donated goods, particularly food, to Appalachian communities. Operation Sharing also plans to continue to lean into its Clay County satellite hub to bring donated goods and essential items to additional partners in Eastern Kentucky.

“Before the hub, around 30 organizations in the area drove to our warehouse in Corbin to pick up donated goods. With the creation of the hub, now nearly 200 organizations pick up from the hub location and distribute donated goods in the community,” Ridner said.

“We look forward to the opportunities we will have to continue to grow and help people in need in Appalachia during FY24,” Thoms added. “We are grateful for the support of our donors and partners who help make our work in the region possible.”