Appalachian Outreach, Inc. – “A Little Means A Lot”

This year I accepted a volunteer position on the board for Appalachian Outreach, Inc. (AOI), which is based in Moundsville, W.Va. Prior to becoming involved with this organization, I had very little knowledge about the great things that were being accomplished by this group.  Its mission is to help relieve the burden of poverty, disaster and the loss of dignity suffered by the people of Appalachia who, through no fault of their own, struggle to meet the basic needs of daily life.

Appalachian Outreach was founded by Rose Hart and Diane Reineke in 2001.  In 2002, Appalachian Outreach incorporated and became a 501(c)(3).  In serving this wonderful organization, I have come to realize that I often take for granted the basic needs of daily life.  People faced with poverty and/or disaster often find themselves without food, personal care items, furniture, etc….   AOI gathers and transports new or gently used donated items to impoverished and disaster areas of West Virginia, including our local area, and a few neighboring counties in Virginia and Kentucky.  The donated items are then distributed by organizations, churches or individuals in the area.  AOI continually looks for contacts in counties where accessibility and opportunity are limited and other charitable agencies are lacking or struggle to meet the local need.

Donations are crucial to the success of AOI.  We are always in need of donations, whether it be monetary, personal care items, furniture, clothes, household items and toys, just to name a few.  We also appreciate and depend on the many volunteers who donate their time to ensure the success of AOI.

So please, if you are looking to get rid of items that may be useful to others or are looking to volunteer, keep AOI in mind because to many people in our communities a little really does mean a lot.

For more information about Appalachian Outreach, Inc., visit www.appalachianoutreach.org or contact Rose Hart at 304-845-2762.