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The Storehouse
Helping Appalachian children and families through donated goods
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. Their options for new housing were severely limited. Maggie and John scraped together what they needed to buy an old farm house 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 of Vision Appalachia for help. The building supply warehouse 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. The family was able to install the windows in time to keep them 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 not rare in many parts of West Virginia. In the 17 counties served by The Storehouse of Vision Appalachia, 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 Appalachian Community CARE
and World Servants as well as a growing network of churches, faith-based organizations, and public and private nonprofits.
The Storehouse Thrives on Partnerships
Materials and goods filling The Storehouse shelves and bins come from generous manufacturers and retailers, who donate their high-quality overstock for the tax benefits and the good feeling of helping those in need through:
Building materials The Storehouse has a wide variety of new, high-quality building materials, from plumbing supplies and windows to weatherproofing and drywall. These are made available to individual families and organizations trying to renovate or create affordable, adequate housing.
Personal care items Hardworking families deserve a helping hand as they work to pull themselves out of poverty. The Storehouse provides its partner organizations such everyday necessities as clothing, cleaning and household supplies and personal care items for distribution to families in need. These items boost morale and help families better manage their tight budgets.
Medical network A growing edge in The Storehouse ministry is the evolving network of medical partners. Thanks to the high-quality medical items that have been donated and passed on to medical organizations and health providers, patient care has improved and The Storehouse Helping Appalachian children and families through donated goods limited financial resources are freed to be invested in other needed items. Since beginning our work with medical supplies, we have distributed more than $750,000 worth of product.
Disaster relief During the past year, The Storehouse provided assistance to areas of southern West Virginia that were affected by severe flooding by distributing more than $400,000 in disaster relief materials. Shortly after, World Vision was named by the governor of West Virginia as a key agency in procurement of disaster relief items.
Teacher Resource Center (slated for implementation in FY2003) A relatively low tax base in West Virginia leaves its education system in need of support. World Vision’s Kids In Need provides free school supplies to schools in which a majority of students qualify for the subsidized lunch program.
Distribution of Goods
The Storehouse provides these donated items to local partners. By working through organizations already in place in the community, it strengthens individuals’ connections to churches and social institutions, a strategy that helps assure that goods are provided to those who need them most, and to those families or individuals who are making a positive impact in the community they serve.
Individuals become members of The Storehouse through sponsorship by a church or nonprofit organization. Organizational members—which must be nonprofits—provide a wide range of services to communities. These members include churches, hospitals and convalescent homes, community development groups, shelters, emergency services agencies, and a food bank. Individual and family members are required to provide eight hours of volunteer service at The Storehouse or another nonprofit in the region.
Memberships are available at a low cost to families and nonprofit organizations and allow members to receive building materials by making a nominal contribution to cover warehousing costs. The contribution allows The Storehouse to operate its programs and continue to place quality materials into the hands of those who most need them.
Program Growth Spurs Need for Expansion
The Storehouse is growing in its reach and in the amount of inventory it receives, resulting in the need for a new, larger building. A grant from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation in Pittsburgh provided a $60,000 grant to help provide the down payment for the purchase of a new 27,000-square-foot building in downtown Philippi, West Virginia. This larger warehouse space will allow World Vision and its partners to reach out to more families across the region who are struggling to improve their quality of life.
How You Can Help
As of October 2002, $224,000 of the needed $645,000 had been raised to pay for and renovate the new warehouse facility. We need your support to help meet the needs of deserving families in rural West Virginia. Here’s what your donation can help us accomplish:
• $25 will sponsor a new The Storehouse member.
• $100 will purchase a section of industrial shelving
• $500 will purchase a pallet jack
• $1,000 will help improve the lighting system in the building
• $5,000 will help replace the building’s roof
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| Vision Youth Help provide tutoring, life skills training, and a caring relationship to high-risk youth. | | ||
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| The Storehouse Provide school supplies, clothes, toys, household goods and building supplies for strengthening families,schools and neighborhoods. | | ||
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| Tools for Transformation Help provide the organizational, planning and leadership tools to transform a neighborhood. | | ||
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| Read about what is happening in The Storehouse program around the country by clicking on the location name below. |
