Together for Hope Appalachia

Newsletter - August 2026

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PARTNER

If you are considering joining our TFH Appalachia network as a Coalition Member, please reach out to Kristy (email) to continue the conversation. Our partnerships are organic and specific to YOUR needs! The list to the left shows just a few of the upcoming events/perks for our Coalition Members.

Together for Hope Annual Meeting

This October, Together for Hope marks 25 years. Members, partners, and supporters will gather in Jackson for three days of workshops, celebration, and time in the communities at the heart of this work. Several events are open to the public and to supporters who want to experience the gathering up close.

Visit here for more information

tfhope.org/tfh-annual-meeting-2026

Celebrating 25 Years!

Together for Hope has spent 25 years organizing grassroots communities across the Delta, Black Belt, Appalachia, and Tribal Nations — working alongside more than 150 member organizations to abolish persistent rural poverty in America’s most underserved places. This October, we gather in Jackson to learn together, celebrate what’s been built, and recommit to the work ahead. The good people are already there. Come be part of it.

TFH Food Network

TFH Food Network Meeting

August 18

Date: Tuesday, August 18th 2026

Time: 11 AM - 12 PM EST / 10 AM - 11 AM CST

(plus an additional 15 minutes after the call for voluntary, unprogrammed conversation)

Our agenda for this call will provide opportunities to listen and to share. We will be exploring what a healthy (local) food system looks like to you and your organization and your organization's primary role in your local food system.

In Partnership

Rachel, Katie, Keith, Kristy, Breana, Harold

kristy@tfhope.org

keith@tfhope.org

Vases for our Coalition Members

Terrie Ponder Watch Creates Beautiful Flower Vases for our Coalition Members

We are excited to have Terrie Ponder Watch of Cardinal Lake Pottery (cardinallakepottery.com) in Monteagle, Tennessee, creating these beautiful vases for our TFH Appalachia Coalition members.

We wanted to find a gift to commemorate our partnership with each coalition member and express our gratitude for the work they do.

We learned of Terrie and her stunning pottery through our friend Stephanie Colchado Kelley with Growing Roots in Grundy County, TN, a coalition member.

We've begun sharing these with our coalition members and look forward to presenting one to each of our partners in the months ahead.

Check out more of her beautiful work on Instagram: instagram.com/cardinallakepottery

Community Action Committee

So grateful for our partners at the Community Action Committee - Sewanee!

Run out of the Parish of St. Mark & St. Paul, CAC is doing the quiet, essential work of fighting poverty and hunger across rural Appalachia — focusing its efforts right here in and around the Sewanee, TN community.

Through programs like their food bank and monthly community meals, they make sure no neighbor has to go without. Their impact is felt at every table they fill and every hand they extend.

We're proud to stand alongside them in this work. If you're in the area, consider donating, volunteering, or simply spreading the word — it all matters.

Follow them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/cacsewanee

Growing Roots

So grateful for our partners at Growing Roots !

Rooted in justice and driven by community, Growing Roots is transforming food access and wellness across Tennessee's South Cumberland Plateau. They serve residents of Franklin, Grundy, and Marion counties, reaching neighbors who deserve fresh food, supportive wellness resources, and a real seat at the table.

What truly sets Growing Roots apart is the why behind it all. They're motivated by a justice-oriented approach to land use, food sovereignty from the grassroots up, and a deep belief that collaborative effort can improve the quality of life for everyone who calls these mountains home.

We're honored to walk alongside them in this work. If you're in the South Cumberland area, we encourage you to connect with Growing Roots — whether that's volunteering, donating, attending a workshop, or simply showing up. Every bit of support matters.

Join the conversation: What does food access or food sovereignty mean to you and your community?

Follow Growing Roots on Instagram and Facebook.

Mountain T.O.P.

Grateful for our partners at Mountain TOP !

Rooted in Christian community and faith-based relationships, Mountain T.O.P. tends to the physical, spiritual, social, and emotional needs of every neighbor they encounter across the Cumberland Mountain region.

Their vision is simple but powerful: a community where families and children thrive, and where everyone who contributes to the mission grows through their own experience with Christ.

Mountain T.O.P. offers a variety of mission-based programs for both youth and adults, including:

Home repair programs
Day camp programs

These aren't just service projects; they're experiences that shape both volunteers and residents across the Cumberland Plateau! We're honored to walk alongside them and to have presented them with a vase from local artist Terrie Ponder Watch.

If you've ever felt called to serve, we'd encourage you to explore what Mountain T.O.P. has to offer. The mountain has a way of changing everyone who shows up for it.

Find someone you'd want to serve alongside on the Cumberland Plateau — and let's get them to the mountains!

Keep up with all the latest from the Mountain TOP on Facebook: facebook.com/mountaintoptn

BetterFi

Grateful for our partner BetterFi!

Did you know that predatory lenders in Tennessee can charge APRs as high as 460% and may ensnare as many as 20% of Tennessee households?

That means that in one year, a typical borrower might pay $8,400 on a $3,000 flex loan and not pay down the principal by even one cent!!

BetterFi is a nonprofit and certified Appalachian Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) working to break the cycle of predatory debt right here in Appalachia through community-centered finance.

What does that look like? Primarily, BetterFi offers clients affordable credit, built to help escape the debt traps predatory loans create. They prioritize affordable, successful repayment over their own profit maximization, working with borrowers rather than against them. They also offer complementary financial services to support borrowers well beyond the loan itself.

As a result, borrowers can strengthen their financial fitness, improve their credit scores, and grow their ability to use conventional financial services!

Want to learn more? Follow and share BetterFi's page and help end predatory lending in Appalachia!

Facebook: facebook.com/BetterFi

Website: www.betterfi.co

Rē: The Rēgenerative School

So grateful for our partners at Rē:T he Regenerative School!

Rē catalyzes transformative collaboration and learning to create a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world. Through education, research, and civic engagement, they're advancing a vision where people, community, and the environment come first.

Their approach is rooted in trauma-informed practices, a culture of community care, and a "life first" philosophy that sits at the heart of regenerative work.

But here's what truly sets Rē apart: the community and the land lead the way. Their voices drive the decisions, the collaborations, and the work itself. That commitment shows up in three powerful programs:

Community of Care Initiative
Inner and Outer Landscape Fellowship Program
Future of Rural Education Program

Each one is an invitation to rethink what's possible when we center care, place, and people. We're honored to walk alongside them.

We were honored to present them with one of the vases to celebrate our partnership.

Follow their good work on Facebook: Follow Re!

New Opportunity School for Women

Another beautiful flower vase was delivered to one of our awesome coalition members: Angel Short, executive director, New Opportunity School for Women.

Since 1986, the New Opportunity School for Women has helped low-income Appalachian women rebuild their financial futures and personal lives through an intensive residential program based in Berea. Participants gain practical skills, career training, and the confidence to pursue new paths — and the results speak for themselves, with the vast majority of graduates going on to further education, employment, or both.

We're grateful for the work Angel and her team do every day carrying this mission forward. The quilts created by each graduating class tell their life-changing stories and are a testament to the impact of NOSW.

Thank you for all you do, Angel and NOSW!

Follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Emma Quire Mission Center

FBC Frankfort Workday at the Emma Quire Mission Center

TFH Appalachia is grateful to partner with the Emma Quire Mission Center as a coalition member, and with First Baptist Church on St. Clair, Frankfort, KY.

Keith was glad to present them with a vase by Appalachian artist Terrie Ponder Watch, commemorating our partnership.

The establishment of the Emma Quire Mission Center in Owsley County, KY, over 20 years ago, was a response to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Rural Poverty Initiative, which became Together for Hope. At the urging of Emma Quire, a member and missions leader at FBC Frankfort, the church visited Owsley County, built relationships, began partnering and working in the community, and bought and renovated the old hotel as a mission center.

On Saturday, July 25, a team of volunteers from the church — including both pastors, Rev. Amanda Smith and Rev. Justin Sizemore — worked at the mission with Linda Witt, Director of the Emma Quire Mission Center, adding bed rails to the bunk beds, organizing supplies, and doing general clean-up. Since 2003, the Emma Quire Mission Center has been hosting volunteer teams and serving its neighbors. This workday marked 10 years since the last major renovations to the Center.

Thank you Linda Witt, Emma Quire Mission Center, First Baptist Church, Frankfort, KY, and all the volunteers who worked so hard on Saturday.

Learn more about how you can bring a volunteer team: www.emmaquiremc.org/about

Where in Appalachia is Dr. Keith Stillwell?

Visiting Hand in Hand at

the Auxier Center

(& Other Friends Along the Way)

A group of rising seniors from St. Xavier High School, an all-boys Jesuit school in Cincinnati, Ohio, recently spent several days building wheelchair ramps through Hand in Hand Appalachia's Auxier Center. As a part of this summer immersion trip, they invited Keith Stillwell, TFH Appalachia Vice President, to join them for a conversation about Appalachia.

The students had been working on a home devastated by a second catastrophic flood, and in the process, they naturally developed a bond with the family and a deeper appreciation for the challenges their neighbors face. They came to the conversation with thoughtful, probing questions about the causes of persistent poverty, about local jobs and minimum wage, about population decline and strip mining, and about the efforts of organizations like Hand in Hand and Together for Hope to build on local assets and create a more equitable future for Appalachia. It's encouraging to see young people so eager to serve and learn, and unwilling to settle for simplistic answers.

On the way to Auxier, Keith made several stops through the eastern Kentucky Appalachian region.

Powell County Emergency Food Service

Powell County Emergency Food Service in Stanton, KY, provides supplemental food boxes each Wednesday. Even though Keith arrived unannounced, he was given a tour of the facility and an overview of their work by the director, Dee Robbins, and watched the busy crew in action — packing boxes, loading cars, and hurrying back into the warehouse in search of specific items needed by their neighbors. The umbrella organization, Community Partners for Powel County, also operates "The Golden Rule -- Vintage & Thrift Shop," offering affordable clothes, housewares, toys, and more. Keith and Dee agreed to meet again soon to discuss how TFH might partner with the food pantry.

Good Neighbors Appalachia
Good Neighbors Appalachia in Staffordsville, KY, coordinates mission teams from all across the U.S. to provide basic home repair and improvement for the working poor in the region. Jason Benedict, Executive Director, was on the run delivering supplies to work sites at the time of Keith's visit, but the two shared an encouraging phone conversation, and Keith was able to stop by their offices, to meet with warehouse manager, Larry Dalton, learning more about their work and sharing how TFH partners with organizations like theirs. Jason and Larry shared that teams travel from the East and West Coasts, the Midwest, Texas, Florida, New York, California, Washington State, and many places in between to serve alongside them, many returning year after year. Learn more about Good Neighbors and how to volunteer and donate here: www.goodneighbors-inc.org

East Kentucky Dream Center

The East Kentucky Dream Center in Pikeville, KY, is a "faith-based charitable organization that finds and fills the needs of struggling people across Eastern Kentucky." Rachel Campbell-Dotson, Director, and Jamie Rowe, Office Support Assistant, gave Keith a tour of their dining hall, food and resource warehouse, and a well-stocked "baby room" filled with the items families with infants need most. The Dream Center provides meals twice a week, typically serving over 200 hundred neighbors each time (and at times as many as 400 to 800), and operates two thrift stores (East Ky Dream Center Thrift Store).

Keith and the Dream team look forward to continuing the conversation about how TFH and the East Kentucky Dream Center might collaborate.

You can donate here: www.ekdc.info/donate, or email rachel.ekdc@gmail.com to volunteer.

Pizza

One of the advantages of passing through Powell County at lunchtime is the chance to eat at Miguel's Pizza — one of Keith's favorites.

Nada Baptist Mission
And for old time's sake, Keith stopped by the Nada Baptist Mission, one of the first centers of engagement for Together for Hope in Kentucky. It brought back memories of the many work teams, activities with children and youth in the vast yard, basketball games, and one of TFH's very first projects there: the addition of a shower room for mission teams. The Nada photos will bring fond memories to many of our CBF Kentucky friends and other friends that visited through the years.

Powell County Emergency Food Service

Good Neighbors Appalachia

East Kentucky Dream Center

Nada Baptist Mission

Miquel's Pizza

A Word from Dr. Kristy Bay

Good work by Good Folks!

One of my favorite poems is "Where I'm From," by Appalachia poet George Ella Lyon. In it, George Ella engages all the senses to describe her Appalachian home.

Her poem sparked a national project that encouraged high school and middle school students all over the country to write their own versions of the poem. Beyond teaching poetry and creative writing, the art of crafting a poem about "where you're from" is a beautiful exercise in being proud of your heritage and your home. What is more Appalachian than that? :)

One of our goals at TFH Appalachia is to tell the stories of good work being done by good folks who are proud of their place in the world!

That's all y'all! If you have a project, event, mission, celebration, or story that you would like for us share, please do not hesitate to send it to us.

And, when we share these stories on social media, please join us in celebrating the good work by liking and sharing it on your pages! In this way, our TFH Appalachia network can help to paint more nuanced, detailed pictures of where we're from and the work we do-- rathr than the broad brush strokes that are so often used to color Appalachia!

Grow Appalachia

August 17 Deadline!

"Do you practice foodways work in your community? We are thrilled to announce that we are once again offering the Appalachian Foodways Practitioner Fellowship program to honor and celebrate people in Appalachian counties engaging in community-centered foodways work.

If you're wondering what foodways might include... it's a large basket of possibilities, and we welcome a diversity of backgrounds and areas of expertise. Examples might include chefs, seed savers, farmers, gardeners, foragers, hunters, storytellers, educators, food preservationists or community food organizers, and more!

If you see yourself as a foodways practitioner, visit https://growappalachia.berea.edu/appalachian-foodways-fellowship-program/ to learn more and visit https://bit.ly/foodfellows2027 to apply by August 17th, 2026 at 5pm EST. Applicants will need to create an account to apply through the portal.

Awarded fellows will receive a $5,000 stipend to support their work and will join other fellows to present at the 2027 Appalachian Studies Conference.

This program is made possible thanks to Mid Atlantic Arts and their Mid Atlantic Folk and Traditional Arts program in partnership with the Appalachian Studies Association (ASA).