RELIEVING THE BURDEN

BY BRIANNA STEPHENS

The sounds of construction are echoing once again through Christian Appalachian Project (CAP) as the organization continues to grow and meet basic needs in the region. In Mount Vernon, a new facility is being built for CAP’s Grateful Bread Food Pantry next to its current structure. The pantry shares a small building with CAP’s Grateful Threadz Thrift Store, and, while the two have operated side by side for years, the new construction will give each program adequate space to continue to grow and best serve children, their families, and seniors in the area.

“We’ve never had a full pantry space, just part of a building,” said Carolyn Lindsey, manager of both the pantry and the thrift store. “Now we will have a 4,620-square-foot pantry on its own. We are excited for what we’ll be able to do and the ease with which we can serve our participants.”

The new Grateful Bread Food Pantry was inspired by the successful expansion of CAP’s Eagle Food Pantry in McCreary County. Shortly after opening a small pantry in 2021, a 2,700-square-foot expansion was added to Eagle

Food Pantry, offering a layout more conducive to daily pantry operations. Similar to that expansion project, the new Grateful Bread Food Pantry will include more storage space for food, a large shopping space for participants to pick their own food items, and a covered drive-thru.

“Grateful Bread has been in this community for a long time and has made a huge impact,” Lindsey said. “What I hope the people in the community see with this new building is that CAP is serious about the services we provide and that we are here for the long haul. I think the new pantry will provide a better atmosphere and shopping experience, while giving us the capability to hold more inventory to feed our community.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Grateful Bread saw a decrease in the number of participants served as government assistance was given to help families and individuals afford food and other necessities. Since that assistance ended, and with the increasing cost of food and other living expenses, the number of participants the pantry serves is beginning to increase again. Regardless of the situation they face, each participant that walks through the pantry’s doors is welcomed to a loving space where they are supported physically with food and spiritually by the employees and volunteers.

“Sometimes our participants need more from us than just food,” said Sherri Barnett, community coordinator for Grateful Bread and Grateful Threadz. “We give them a space to tell us what is going on and offer them a listening ear, love, and prayer. Just that contact is so important and can make a difference for them. They become like family to us.”

Because of the generosity of donors, Grateful Bread employees and volunteers are able to ease some of the burdens families in Appalachia face. One family they serve is a sibling group who lost their mother and grandmother. The eldest, 18, has taken custody of her three younger siblings and is balancing the challenges of going to college, paying their bills, and meeting the family’s basic needs all on her own. When she needs help with food, she knows Grateful Bread is there for her.

“I can’t thank our donors enough for what they make possible,” Barnett said. “We wouldn’t have or be anything without them. We are blessed to be able to serve the participants we have and know that we can help take some of the burden off them.”

The new Grateful Bread Food Pantry is expected to be completed this fall. Once the pantry moves into the new building, Grateful Threadz will utilize the current pantry space for additional storage and create a new donation drop-off area to accept large pieces of furniture for the store.