4 minute read
Making Life a Little Easier
BY TINA V. BRYSON
Many communities in Eastern Kentucky struggle with the most basic needs. Christian Appalachian Project’s (CAP) Operation Sharing Program is expanding their capacity to reach into even smaller communities. CAP recently launched a partnership with the Clay County School District and City of Manchester in Manchester/Clay County to open an Operation Sharing Hub.
“Satellite hubs give us the opportunity to reach people in need that can’t afford to drive to our warehouse in Corbin,” said Ben Ridner, who manages Operation Sharing in Corbin, Kentucky. “Smaller churches and organizations can now afford to pick up essentials because the travel time has been cut by more than half.”
Before the hub opened, Ridner said there were about 18 organizations signed up as partners in Clay County. Now, there are around 80 organizations that pick up from the Operation Sharing Hub.
“God opened a door,” said Pamela Mathis, who manages the hub and works for the school district, the city, and the county. “I’ve seen kids hungry. One day I saw a mother walking in the cold with her two children and one of them didn’t have on shoes. I gave that child a pair of shoes. Having this partnership with Operation Sharing has helped the community. God knew what we needed.”
Partnerships like this one in Clay County don’t happen without local support. Mathis credits Manchester Mayor James Ed Garrison and School Superintendent William Sexton for identifying needs in the community and finding creative ways to meet those needs.
Mathis works with the Family Resource Centers in the district to make sure that students have hygiene products and other needed items. Another schoolbased program that benefits from the hub is Save the Children, which supports literary efforts and provides additional assistance to families in the community.
“We are hoping to make life in the community a little easier,” Ridner added. “Our goal is to help as many people as we can. We feel this is the best way to do it. Clay County is the first hub, but certainly won’t be our last. Operation Sharing wants to have a larger impact in Appalachia.”
— Ben Ridner
A local business owner provided the 12,000 square foot facility free of charge to support the partnership with the school district, the city, the county, and Operation Sharing. They recognized they could do more by coming together to support families in need throughout the community. Mathis worked with Ridner to arrange delivery of donated items from corporate partners. Since the hub is new, they are averaging about one to two loads a week. Ridner believes that with their capacity, they might be able to distribute four to six truckloads a week to meet needs in Clay County.
“Our Operation Sharing partners serve their communities every day, so they see where the need is on a daily basis,” Ridner explained. “It takes a tremendous effort from every organization across Appalachia to meet these needs.”
Ridner noted, “Our partners help us get the product into the hands that need it the most. This would be almost impossible for us to do on this large of a scale without them. We are blessed for all of our partners who are helping us expand our impact in the region.”
Through a new hub in Clay County, Operation Sharing is able to serve 80 local organizations with essential items. Those organizations distribute the items they receive to children, families, and individuals in need in the community.
