Christian Appalachian Project is an interdenominational, nonprofit Christian organization committed to serving people in need in Appalachia area by providing physical, spiritual, and emotional support through a wide variety of programs and services. The realities of life in Appalachia include living in sub-standard housing, managing multiple health issues, and going without food, shoes and proper clothing. Over 22 million people live in the more than 400 counties that make up beautiful Appalachia. Also, the Appalachia area has a higher concentration of poverty, disability, poor education and serious illness instances than anywhere in the nation. The Christian Appalachian Project services allow the elderly, those with disabilities, and children to receive the much-needed basics. The Appalachian Project provides necessities to the families who need them most.
More than 1,000 volunteers spend time working with Christian Appalachian Project to further our mission. Building homes, visiting the elderly, delivering food, and caring for children throughout Child and Family Development Centers, volunteers are essential in reaching the thousands of people who need our help.
In some areas of Appalachia, up to 16.8% of homes are classified as substandard, having more people than rooms and no indoor plumbing. Christian Appalachian Project’s Housing and Home repair program not only repairs, improves, and rebuilds but also teaches homeowners repair and maintenance skills.
Nearly 60% of the children living in Christian Appalachian Project’s service area are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches because of their family’s income level, but one meal a day is not enough. Children may get a hot lunch at school, but the rest of their family does not. Christian Appalachian Project provides hungry individuals and children with nutritious food, trying to make sure that no one has to go without food.
Christian Appalachian Project provides weekly checkups on Appalachia’s elderly men and women, most of who live alone or are isolated because of their home’s geographical location. Visiting over 1600 homes a year, a caring caseworker or volunteer makes sure the elderly have food, heat, and basic necessities as well as the companionship that provides hope for a better tomorrow.