Home rehabilitation is a Basic Need supported by Americans Helping Americans® in four Appalachian communities. This year, Americans Helping Americans® gifted four organizations $65,000 to complete 141 projects servicing 154 individuals. Among them was Appalachian...
This year, Americans Helping Americans® provided critical support to Appalachian families struggling to keep the lights on, heat their homes, and pay their rent. Through our utility assistance program, Americans Helping Americans® provided $8,600 in cash grants to...
The Want2Work (W2W) program from Americans Helping Americans® provides critical financial assistance for GED programs, vocational training, and certification exams. By removing financial barriers, W2W helps young adults acquire the skills necessary to secure stable,...
Pam Hester has been involved with Americans Helping Americans® partner Appalachian Ministries of the Smokies (AMOS) in Jefferson City, Tennessee, for more than two decades. She first volunteered with First Baptist Church (FBC) in Jefferson City when the church hosted...
Why New Shoes Matter for Kids in Appalachia Throughout Appalachia, countless children arrive at school in worn-out, ill-fitting, hand-me-down shoes, often with more holes than soles. “Without a good pair of shoes, the kids feel embarrassed, discouraged, or left out –...
Across Appalachia, students are returning to school this month, many to classrooms where the day’s lessons will end without the extra academic help and encouragement they need at home. Thanks to the generosity of Americans Helping Americans® supporters, we are able to...
In 2023, Americans Helping Americans® launched the Americans Helping Teachers program to provide up to $20,000 annually in grants to educators, including teachers, librarians, counselors, and administrators, working in five PK-12 schools in Appalachia. These grants...
Hunger in Appalachia During Summer Throughout Appalachia, there are countless children going hungry as they are not guaranteed nutritious and filling breakfasts and lunches. While they normally receive meals each day at school, during the summer months, they are at...
Back-to-School Help for Appalachia Back-to-school time is coming up and many parents in Appalachia are worrying about how they will be able to afford paying for school supplies for their children. Last year, Americans Helping Americans® shipped 4,500 elementary and...
For many parents and guardians of young children in distressed Appalachian communities, proper dental care is an afterthought, if thought of at all. The result is not surprising, as children in Appalachia experience high rates of dental cavities compared to children...
In 2023, the official poverty rate in the U.S. was 11.1%, meaning more than 36 million Americans were living in poverty, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s nearly one in every nine people facing daily challenges to meet basic needs like food,...
In 2002, René Steele, her husband Robert, their four children, and a few friends founded the Labor of Love Mission (LOLM) from their home in Tiptop, an unincorporated community in Tazewell County, Virginia. Their first initiative, “Christmas Families” (later renamed...