The Campaign for Christian Appalachian Project

BY GRANT HARNED

In September of 2021, Christian Appalachian Project (CAP) launched our largest philanthropic effort to date RISE and Shine: The Campaign for Christian Appalachian Project. It is a pleasure and a privilege to share some exciting news that attests to the passion and dedication of CAP employees, volunteers, donors, partners, and friends.

The goal was simple: to be the hands and feet of Christ to our Appalachian neighbors impacted by poverty through growth in our robust network of human services programs to serve more and serve better.

Under the excellent leadership of the Campaign Steering committee, as of the end of July 2024, we have reached 121.2% of our RISE and Shine $95 million campaign goal, representing over $115 million in current and deferred gifts and commitments. These funds will benefit all of CAP’s human services programs, enabling us to continue the life-changing work we accomplish each day and grow in strategic ways to meet the needs of the people and communities we are blessed to serve.

Because of God’s providence and the generosity of CAP friends like you, the impact has been extraordinary. CAP has been able to grow strategically to meet participants’ needs in the wake of natural disasters and recovery from the global pandemic.

Since the beginning of RISE and Shine, we have expanded our food pantry network to include two new facilities: Eagle Food Pantry and the new Grateful Bread Food Pantry, each of which serves hundreds of families per month. We have grown our Home Repair program to ensure more families and seniors have homes that are safe, warm, and dry. We have helped more than 100 families displaced by the 2022 floods in Eastern Kentucky return to their homes while maintaining other critical home repair projects across the region. We have expanded our Operation Sharing network through strategic, core growth in the Central Appalachian region. We have increased engagement and participation in our Teen Leadership initiative, expanding on the good work being done in Youth Empowerment Services.

We also see the impact CAP makes each day in our human services programs dealing directly with the basics food, clothing, and shelter. It is the smell of a home-cooked meal from provisions provided just in time from one of CAP’s food pantries. It is the smile on the face of a young mother as she works with an employee to pick out winter coats for her two boys at one of CAP’s Christmas events. It is the pride on the face of a WorkFest volunteer as they show a participant the roof their team installed before a cold mountain winter.

We are so thankful to partner with you in this mission and critical service. Because of your faithful prayers and support, we are being propelled toward greater service milestones than we ever could have dreamed of reaching when we first started talking about the RISE and Shine campaign. This is a hugely impactful step that we make together in fulfilling our strategic plan and 30-year vision, and it speaks to the heights we can reach together to serve more and serve better in Appalachia.

For more information about this campaign, visit christianapp.org/rise-shine