Just Scraping By in Appalachia

I am spending the week in my hometown in Southeastern Ohio on the edge of Appalachia. This area is the epitome of rural US poverty. As I drive through the town where I grew up, I see anew just what rural poverty looks like. I see the trailers that are rapidly deteriorating, the abandoned farms and the rusting vehicles. I also see signs of great hope as the moldy, dilapidated schools I attended have been replaced by beautiful, new buildings. As I take all of this in, I think about the ways in which my neighbors living paycheck to paycheck, day to day and meal to meal are surviving.

I drive by Care Outreach, a local organization that provides monthly food distributions to many families in the area. I am lucky—today is the day of the food distribution. I am reminded of the days when I volunteered at Care Outreach. I remember how crazy these days are. Hundreds of people, mostly mothers, many with children in tow, line up early in the morning to go through the line with their carts. By the end of the line, their carts are overflowing with food.

There’s an article in the Sunday Columbus Dispatch (August 24th) that explores some of the issues surrounding Appalachian poverty. One of the main related problems is substance abuse. The article, “Study details Appalachian substance-abuse woes” quotes Earl Cecil, executive director of a local organization serving substance abusers in the area: “We find that a disproportionate amount of anxiety and depression is due to poverty, more and more with the economic downturn and the outflow of jobs that pay a living wage. People just cannot provide for their families. That leads to a lot of stress, a lot of depression” (Lane). Understandably, this results in high rates of substance abuse.

Rural Appalachian poverty, like all poverty, has complex causes and effects, substance abuse being just one of these. While the local food pantry provides a much-needed stop gap that helps people get by for a little while, we need a more sustainable solution to rural American poverty. Hope, empowerment, training, education, opportunities, jobs—these are pieces of a solution that lasts. I believe that some of the solutions that Outreach International finds using community development in rural communities such as this Zambian village, may be applicable in rural America.

-Stephen Donahoe

Comments

[Guillermo Balseiro]

Well, poverty is a problem that exists around the world, in so many different ways, with different faces, with different vicims, with different causes and consecuences.

But, actually, poverty is just one and fight against poverty and all the consecuences and the additional problems that poverty brings is not easy.

Fight against poverty involves take more social actions. Fight against poverty is more than a political issue, poverty needs a solution but a real and true one, and that is only possible if we, common people, take actions through foundations, organizations and social works. I know it is not easy for everybody but if people around the world works bravely against te poverty, the problem is going to start to be fixed.

I am doing my social work with my job, and I try to help everyday, I know my job is nothing, but it is a little grain of sand.

Think about it: What are you doing to fight against poverty?

[Stephen Donahoe]

Great Challenge! One that we all need to think about. And one thing that I have realized is that we could always do more. I think that we are continually called to do more.
-Stephen Donahoe