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| The Storehouse |
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Volunteers sort and stack a shipment of new windows at The Storehouse. |
A Community Resource for Families in Need |
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The trailer that Maggie, John, and their 13-year-old daughter called home was destroyed by fire. To make devastating matters even worse, the family had no insurance.
Maggie and John scraped together what they needed to buy an old farmhouse that was in serious need of renovation. The aging structure offered the family a roof over its head––but little else. Among the pressing needs were windows. The house had 22 holes where windows once served to keep nature at bay.
Struggling to make do after their setback, Maggie and John turned to The Storehouse for help. The World Vision program was able to provide all 22 windows for the amount it normally would have cost to replace just one at a commercial building supply store. Maggie and John were able to install the windows in time to keep the family warm during the harsh winter months.
The Storehouse has provided the supplies to help Maggie and John rebuild not just a home, but their lives. Their story is familiar in many parts of West Virginia. In the 17 counties served by The Storehouse, 20.3 percent of families live in poverty. And those who do work make 60 percent less than the average worker nationwide. This poverty is the leading factor in another startling statistic in rural West Virginia: Approximately 22 percent of homes here are considered substandard.
World Vision’s Response
World Vision is working to provide a direct connection between available resources and the families and communities that need them. Our vision is to level the economic playing field for rural communities in Appalachia; to see neighbors helping neighbors; to see homes and lives being rebuilt; and to see congregations, organizations, and public agencies all working together to make it possible for young families with children to stay here and live healthy, productive lives.
In Appalachia, World Vision works in partnership with a growing network of churches, faith-based organizations, and public and private nonprofits. Through these partnerships, The Storehouse served nearly 122,000 Appalachian children and their families in the past year.
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