In the quiet town of Pike County, Kentucky, for the last seven years, Brittany has been the dependable leader for our sponsored children, working hard to guarantee they have what they need everyday so their education isn’t disrupted. Brittany is our dedicated Volunteer Coordinator at the Family Resource and Youth Services Center (FRYSC) at our affiliated project Belfry Middle School. She, like all our coordinators, performs a variety of roles and responsibilities as she ensures the kids in her charge have more than just the basics, they have hope for the future.
With so many years dedicated to helping so many, it is obvious Brittany loves what she does. She is able to do her job well because of the support she receives from our sponsors and donors. Brittany has said repeatedly that our organization is a blessing to the FRYSC at Belfry Middle School, and that she depends heavily on our sponsorship program to serve her students – especially those who are struggling to eat at home.
The challenges of facing hunger
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecurity as “a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.” In America today, people who live in rural areas often face hunger at higher rates than in other parts of the United States – oftentimes due to the challenges they face living in remote areas.
Our Volunteer Coordinator, Brittany, works hard to ensure that the children at Belfry Middle School have food, as well as other basic needs.
When families live far away from businesses or commercial districts, they might not have a way to access food pantries or other social services that could help them feed their families – if those services even exist in those districts. Furthermore, the majority of employment opportunities in rural parts of the United States tend to be for low-wage work; and unemployment and underemployment rates are often higher in rural areas than in non-rural ones. This is what we frequently hear in our work with families living in poverty in Eastern Kentucky.
Working together to feed kids
Brittany is on the front lines in Belfry, with a first hand view of how food insecurity is a big concern in her district. Seven years ago when she began, Kentucky teachers went on strike in an attempt to gain improvements to their working conditions. The response from FRYSC was to throw a rally to collect canned and dry goods, because teachers were worried about kids missing school meals and not eating during the day as a result of the strike. Now in 2025, with the rise in food insecurity and the ever shifting climate in the United States, Brittany relies even more on the financial assistance from our Feeding Program Fund and Hope In Action fund to keep the shelves stocked for her students.
When families live far away from businesses or commercial districts, they might not have a way to access food pantries or other social services that could help them feed their families.
How does Hope In Action Help?
Recently, under the direction of our CEO Liz Collins, Children Incorporated has sent a grant of $10,000 to Kentucky and North Carolina to work to alleviate stress for the families affiliated with our program. Many areas do not have access to food banks due to their rural locations, so the FRYSC and schools fill in the gaps. These locations rely almost solely on donations and government assistance to keep the shelves stocked. With the holidays approaching and the temperatures dropping, it is vital for us to make sure families know they are cared for and will not be facing food insecurity alone.
Brittany said that her resource center is also fortunate because American Electric Power (AEP), her husband’s employer, and its employees are generous about holding food drives. The local branch of the company gives the food to Brittany’s husband, who takes it to Belfry Middle School for Brittany to distribute. She said that the AEP employees are a huge help in keeping kids nourished. The 24 vulnerable children currently sponsored are enrolled in her weekly Backpack Feeding Program; and when she has a significant overstock of food, she shares with the other coordinators in her district.
Brittany’s work doesn’t stop when the children leave school for summer break, either. In fact, summertime concerns her even more with regard to whether or not children are receiving meals. During the summer, when schools are closed and kids don’t have access to the National School Breakfast and Lunch Program, Brittany works with local churches to host a weekly Vacation Bible School to give our sponsored and unsponsored kids morning snacks and lunches so that they can enjoy their summer instead of being hungry.
We couldn’t be more grateful to Brittany, and to all our dedicated Volunteer Coordinators who work tirelessly to ensure children in their schools, and in our program, have everything they need to believe in a better future.
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How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?
You can sponsor a child in one of three ways:
- call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with a real person in our sponsorship department
- email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org
- go online to our sponsorship portal and search for a child that is available for sponsorship.