The mountains of Eastern Kentucky are breathtaking. Rolling hills stretch for miles. Horses graze quietly in green pastures. The Red River Gorge draws visitors from across the country to hike towering cliffs and explore the beauty of Appalachia. But beyond the scenic overlooks and winding mountain roads, many families are quietly struggling just to get by.
Recently, our Director of US Programs, and our Assistant Director visited Wolfe County, Kentucky — one of the poorest counties in both the state and the nation. In Wolfe County, poverty rates remain staggeringly high, often reaching more than double the national average. Many families live paycheck to paycheck. Others rely on grandparents raising grandchildren on fixed Social Security incomes. Parents work hard in low-paying jobs, seasonal work, farming, or service industries, yet still struggle to afford essentials like clothing, school supplies, hygiene products, or reliable transportation. We can see firsthand how sponsorship is helping children face these challenges with dignity and confidence.
Wolfe County: “Proud as Peacocks”
In Wolfe County, poverty rates remain stuck between 28–37%, more than double the national average. Once supported by coal and logging industries, the county now relies heavily on schools, healthcare, tourism, and low-wage service jobs.
At Wolfe County High School, coordinator Connie Burks described how sponsorship helps students feel confident during some of the hardest years of adolescence. She organizes shopping trips so students can choose clothes, shoes, hygiene items, and essentials many families cannot otherwise provide. “It’s so rewarding to see the students come to school ‘proud as peacocks with their new clothes,’” Connie shared.
For many students, these experiences are completely new. Some are being raised by grandparents. Others are helping support their families while trying to stay focused on school and their future. There’s Austin, a senior accepted into a technical institute to study diesel mechanics. There’s LaDella, who worked after school jobs to help her struggling family before deciding she wanted to pursue nursing. And there’s Ricky, who visits the resource center almost daily — sometimes for a pencil, sometimes for deodorant, and sometimes simply to say hello. At Wolfe County Middle School, coordinators spoke openly about how difficult middle school years can be for children living in poverty. “Most are desperate to fly under the radar, and to fit in with their peers,” the report explains.
New clothes and shoes do more than meet physical needs. They ease embarrassment, reduce bullying, and help children feel accepted during years when fitting in feels incredibly important.
Food insecurity remains a constant concern throughout the county. While a local food pantry has helped, transportation barriers and long wait times often prevent families from accessing help consistently.
At Campton Elementary School, the Family Resource Center serves as a lifeline for struggling families. Coordinator Becky Dickey and assistant Tom Yeager maintain food supplies, hygiene items, and a clothing closet for students who may come to school without weather-appropriate clothes, properly fitting shoes, or clean outfits.
Sometimes the needs are urgent and immediate. During one visit, a student came into the resource center wearing shoes and pants that were far too small. She left excitedly carrying heart-covered leggings and sandals she had chosen herself. That moment captured the heart of sponsorship in Eastern Kentucky: meeting practical needs while also restoring dignity.
At Campton Elementary, 87% of students come from low-income families.
There’s seven-year-old Jacey, who loves horses, unicorns, and caring for chickens on her family’s small property. Her father works hard doing handyman jobs and small farming projects, but inconsistent income makes supporting six children incredibly difficult. “There are so many reasons they need a well-stocked closet,” Becky explained.
At nearby Rogers Elementary School, coordinators shared stories of grandparents raising grandchildren on small Social Security checks, families living in mobile homes, and children whose sponsorship support has become “a lifeline.”
Breathitt County: Poverty, Flood Recovery, and Resilience
In neighboring Breathitt County, many of the same struggles continue.
The county remains deeply affected by generational poverty and, more recently, by the devastating 2022 Eastern Kentucky floods. Even four years later, flood damage remains visible across the region — damaged homes, boarded windows, warped siding, and families still struggling to rebuild. At Breathitt County Junior/Senior High School, coordinator Kelli Gross described how poverty affects every part of students’ lives. “Some students are staying up all night to make sure a parent doesn’t overdose,” she explained. “Others are taking care of younger siblings late into the night.”
For some students, school simply cannot become the priority it should be because survival at home comes first. Many families rely on government assistance, low-paying retail jobs, school system employment, or nursing home work. Grandparents raising grandchildren is common here as well. Kelli shared that some middle and high school students had “never been inside a store before and didn’t know how to shop for themselves.” Through sponsorship shopping trips, students slowly gain confidence — not just in choosing clothes, but in themselves. At Jackson City School, sponsorship has become woven into the culture of the school itself.
Unlike many schools where students may feel embarrassed receiving support, coordinator Ashley Combs explained that students openly celebrate the program and talk proudly about their sponsors. Ashley described one student with an insulin pump who used to hide the tubing beneath long sleeves, even during warm weather, because he felt self-conscious about the adhesive patches on his skin. With consistent access to supplies and support, he eventually grew more confident. Recently, she saw him wearing short sleeves at school for the first time. “It felt like a small but meaningful victory,” she shared.
At Highland-Turner Elementary School, sponsorship helps children navigate the vulnerable years before transitioning into much larger schools. Coordinator Linda Oaks emphasized how meaningful sponsor relationships become for students. One student proudly shared that she named her black chicken “Smudgy” after her sponsor’s cat because she feels so connected to the family who writes to her.
Those relationships matter deeply.
Children Incorporated doesn’t simply provide clothing and supplies. It creates consistent, caring connections in places where many children desperately need stability and encouragement. At Breathitt Elementary School, coordinator Amanda Miller described how students “light up” when they hear something has arrived from their sponsor. For children being raised by grandparents or living in financially unstable homes, those moments mean more than sponsors may ever fully realize.
A Home Visit That Told the Whole Story
One of the most moving moments of the trip came during a home visit with grandparents Jack and Marilyn Fugate. Now in their late seventies and early eighties, the couple is raising four grandchildren after their daughter passed away from cancer in her thirties. Their only income comes primarily from Social Security.
Jack proudly showed staff the barn he built himself decades ago, once filled with horses he trained and showed throughout the Southeast. Dust-covered trophies still line the shelves inside. Then he walked visitors to the home he also built with his own hands. The couple spoke with deep gratitude for the support their grandchildren receive through Children Incorporated. “It was clear that the assistance makes a meaningful difference — not just in meeting basic needs, but in easing some of the daily pressure they carry.”
That sentence could summarize the entire trip.
Sponsorship is a source of hope
Across every school visit, one message remained clear: sponsorship matters deeply.
It helps children arrive at school prepared to learn. It eases pressure on caregivers already stretched thin. It provides confidence, stability, and encouragement during difficult seasons of life. In places like Wolfe County, poverty is not simply about income. It affects education, transportation, nutrition, emotional well-being, and future opportunity.
But sponsorship creates a connection powerful enough to interrupt that cycle.
Through the support of compassionate sponsors, children in Eastern Kentucky are receiving more than clothes or school supplies. They are receiving reassurance that someone believes in them, cares about their future, and wants them to succeed. And for many children, that hope can make all the difference. What they found was not a lack of love or determination among families. Instead, they witnessed the ongoing realities of generational poverty, limited opportunities, food insecurity, and the daily challenges that children face simply trying to attend school ready to learn.
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