Food Overview
For many children living in poverty, having reliable meals is just a dream. Our grants stock food banks with healthier perishable items. We deliver meals to children in the summertime when school is out, as well as to families without vehicles that live too far from grocery centers. We provide funds to purchase turkeys and dinner meals for holiday celebrations. Our food box program provides thousands of food boxes, each enough to feed a family of four for a week, to communities in need.
Food Boxes
In 2025, Americans Helping Americans® provided 15,120 food boxes to supplement food security within Appalachia.
In the last quarter of 2025, Cynthia Evanoff, CEO/President of Cumberland Mountain Outreach (CMO) in Beattyville, KY, reported that CMO impacted 700 adults and 1,400 children through the Americans Helping Americans® food box program.
“Parents are struggling to put food on their tables,” says Cynthia.
“I cannot begin to tell you how many times people have told me that if it wasn’t for these food boxes from Americans Helping Americans®, they would go hungry.
“Many people who have come to receive food from this pantry have told me the horror stories of how hungry they would be without them.”
Dyanne Spriggs, Executive Director of our partner in McDowell County, WV, Big Creek People in Action (BCPIA), reported last year following a shipment of 336 food boxes from Americans Helping Americans® that “food is always a needed item by most of our families.
“Some of them receive food stamps, but their cupboards are running dry by the end of the month.
“We give the boxes out through our pantry, but sometimes give the boxes out in the town of War and send some to churches in the area when they are having a giveaway to be able to spread them more in every community.
“People always make comments about the good food items in the boxes.”
Dyanne added that while BCPIA is able to purchase some food for its pantry through a food bank, “the value of the food in these 336 boxes is tremendous.
“We are very fortunate to partner with Americans Helping Americans® to support the needs in our communities.”
In Jefferson City, TN, Jean-Ann Washam, Executive Director of our partner there, Appalachian Ministries of the Smokies (AMOS), reported that they distributed a total of 3,192 food boxes, which served well over 10,000 individuals in need last year.
For 2026, Americans Helping Americans® will be shipping 2,300 boxes of food every other month to our Appalachian partners in Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia containing items such as canned foods such as beef stew, tuna, chili with beans, mixed fruit, mixed vegetables, pinto beans, diced peaches, sweet peas, diced tomatoes, as well as mac & cheese, spaghetti, oatmeal, and more.
Cynthia told us in her food box request for this year that “Many of our families receive food stamps, which run out toward the middle of the month.
“This leaves them struggling to provide adequate nutrition for their households during the last half of each month.”
She explained that CMO has three ways that they distribute the food boxes they receive from Americans Helping Americans®.
First, CMO shares them with three other local food pantries that use U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines: the Community Christian Church, The Hub, and Head Start.
Second, they have a food distribution center located opposite CMO headquarters.
And finally, they distribute food boxes at our USDA senior commodities distributions when available.
“Our program stands out in its commitment to ensuring that no individual goes hungry,” says Cynthia.
“Families can come to the Cumberland Mountain Outreach location and receive a food box at any time, day or night.
“This round-the-clock availability sets us apart from other programs and demonstrates our unwavering dedication to serving the community's needs.”
She explained that “Without funding, the impact would be devastating for the affected population.
“Approximately 80 percent of families, already struggling with poverty and limited resources, would face heightened food insecurity. These families rely heavily on the food boxes to supplement their nutritional needs, especially in the last half of the month when food stamps have run out.
“The absence of this program would mean that they would likely go to bed hungry, compounding the already dire circumstances faced by this vulnerable community.
“It is our hope to have a happier, healthier community.”
In her request for food boxes this year, Susan Curry, targeted case manager at the Mountain Comprehensive Care Center in Manchester, KY, told us the food boxes received from Americans Helping Americans® “will be used to reduce food insecurity for low-income individuals and families and provide emergency food aid.
“These food boxes also allow families to free up money for other necessities that are not currently being met due to a lack of resources,” she told us.
“I will connect with community leaders and social service agencies.
“If it wasn’t for the food box programs, the need for access to nutritious food consistently would probably not be met for lots of people.
“Food boxes are key for our community,” says Susan, who added that she would expect to serve 400 individuals from 200 households with the food boxes provided by Americans Helping Americans®.
In Tazewell County, VA, René Steele, Director/Warehouse Coordinator of the Labor of Love Mission (LOLM), told us that they have a food box program twice monthly where they distribute a box of perishable items such as milk, fresh fruits and vegetables, along with a food box provided by Americans Helping Americans®.
She explained that the distribution is open to all residents of the county, saying, “We figure if you wait in line for food, you are hungry and entitled to it.”
BCPIA Food Pantry
For many years, Americans Helping Americans® has supplied BCPIA with food boxes, along with cash grants for programs including holiday food, home repairs, summer camps, and more.
“We are very fortunate that many of BCPIA’s programs fit with Americans Helping Americans® funding priority areas,” states Dyanne.
“We receive prepared food boxes from Americans Helping Americans® several times a year that are distributed to families in the county,” noted Dyanne, who added, however, what was lacking was the ability to provide them with fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as fresh meats such as chicken and hamburger.
“When we have the funding, we purchase these products at Walmart or our local grocery store to supplement the food we give out.”
But that was before an Americans Helping Americans® staff member visited BCPIA last summer and noted that the refrigerators and freezers in its family food pantry were practically bare.
The staff member asked her if $1,000 a month grant would help, and Dyanne said it would make a huge difference in the diet and lives of hundreds. However, she added that she had already submitted her grant request to Americans Helping Americans® for 2026.
The staff member encouraged Dyanne to reach out to Americans Helping Americans® Executive Director Cameron Krizek and see if grant support for fresh produce and meats from Americans Helping Americans® might be possible.
“Many families around here don’t put fresh fruits and vegetables as a priority in their children’s diet,” Dyanne told us.
“It is our hope that the kids will more often choose fresh produce at the store instead of chips and candy.
“We feel anything we can do to expand the amount and variety of foods we can give families will help.
“Access to nutritious food is a basic human right, and everyone has the right to be free from hunger.”
“We reach a lot of people in the county through different programs, but increasing their access to healthy foods will help to fill the nutrition gap and make sure children get the nutritious meals they need to stay healthy and reach their full potential in life.
“Because of high unemployment, lack of transportation, and limited selection of stores in the area that sell food, our organization has become vital to providing concrete steps to our families.
“A lot of families won’t spend their own money or food stamps for fresh meats and produce.
“Providing these to families will improve their diet and address the debilitating effects of food insecurities.
“Funding for our food program from Americans Helping Americans® will help us bridge the gap between those in need of food and the resources needed to meet those critical community needs.”
Upon approval by Cameron of her additional grant request, this year, the $12,000 grant for BCPIA’s fresh produce and meat distribution for 2026 will benefit an estimated 400 individuals from 280 households, according to Dyanne.
Summer Feeding Program
In 2025, Americans Helping Americans® restarted its summer feeding program after working to establish new programs with existing partners to address food insecurity among children and families.
Two Americans Helping Americans® partner organizations, AMOS and LOLM, each received $10,000 grants to operate mobile feeding programs, using vans and buses to reach vulnerable communities.
Through their efforts, a total of 2,249 meals were distributed, ensuring children had reliable access to nourishment during the summer months when school meals are unavailable.
The AMOS Lunchbox was a weekly food distribution program primarily for the youth. AMOS offered food boxes for adults if they stopped by and were in need of food, because no one should be turned away. They were also able to hand out boxes for food for infants. The distributions ranged from servicing 75 to 98 children weekly.
LOLM’s summer feeding program served Tazewell County and adjacent McDowell County and distributed 1,557 snack boxes.
For 2026, the budget for cash grants for summer feeding projects is $40,960 to be utilized by AMOS, LOLM, and LAMP Ministries in Gainesville, GA.
Jean-Ann told us that through the summer feeding program supported by Americans Helping Americans®, this summer, 100 children from 50 households will be served weekly for eight weeks from June 5 to July 31.
AMOS is working in partnership with the Jefferson City Housing Authority and the Jefferson County School System.
“Our goal is to address food insecurity for youth during the months of June and July,” says Jean-Ann.
She told us that AMOS will take groceries to Hillview housing units, Cherokee housing units, and Jefferson City Elementary School every Friday during the months of June and July.
Funding will be used to purchase a van to deliver the food to the areas of distribution, purchase magnets to be placed on the van with days and times of distribution, and food items that will be given to the children.
Jefferson County, Tennessee, offers free school breakfast and lunches to students during the academic year.
This is due to the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program, which allows schools to provide free meals to all students based on their eligibility for free or reduced-price meals.
In Jefferson County, over 60 percent of students fall below the poverty index.
In addition to the free breakfast and lunch, children are given the option of receiving a backpack of food for the weekend.
According to Mid-West Food Bank, nationally, 30 million students lose access to school meals, and only 15 percent of eligible kids receive summer nutritional support.
Before the start of the program, she told us that local volunteers will canvass the neighborhoods, providing flyers to families, inviting them to receive food on a weekly basis during the months of June and July.
AMOS will maintain a spreadsheet identifying children who are being served.
However, an application will not be required as families living in the identified communities are living in low-income housing, and Jefferson County Schools has vetted the families that are being served at Jefferson Elementary.
“Although this is a new program, AMOS is well known in the community and has developed trust over the last four decades,” says Jean-Ann.
“AMOS is standing in the gap for these children.
“Although we are in our infancy of The Lunch Box, it would not exist without Americans Helping Americans®.”
LAMP Executive Director Mary Mauricio told us in her grant request for 2026 that the grant funding from Americans Helping Americans® will be used for “buying food for those in the form of a food package, meals served to those who don’t have cooking facilities, and those with a roof over the head but no food in the pantry or refrigerator, and the homeless.
“Our program tries to solve emergent temporary needs to help individuals and families until a more permanent solution is reached.”
She explained the need, saying, “Single families with low incomes don’t qualify for food stamps but have little to no money for food after paying rent and other bills, and the homeless cannot receive any due to no ID or residence.
“People contact us when they need food, some walk in and simply ask if we have food. Others are referred by churches or agencies. Sometimes we receive phone calls about people in need, whether it be homeless or not, but don’t have transportation to get to us, and we take food to them.
“The requirement for getting help is being hungry.”
At LOLM, René told us that in 2019, they had implemented their own summer feeding program, but with approximately 300 people a week seeking assistance, it was not sustainable for them, but thanks to Americans Helping Americans®, they were able to resume it last year.
For 2026, she expects that 1,600 children from 350-400 households “will be fed throughout the summer.”
She stressed that the need for a summer feeding program in their community is great and “no other program does the summer feeding program, there is nothing – nothing close to feeding our children while they are out for summer break.”
René acknowledged that their program may not be unique, “but instead of the children coming to us, we go to them.
“I think this is innovative and helps, maybe in reaching more people.
“Simple, no one else does anything like these programs in the whole county.”
