Hope Force International is excited about renewing our focus of relational-centric compassion in Appalachia...and we’re inviting you to the team!   However, beware: should you choose to accept the invitation to join us, you may just lose your heart and find something quite amazing….

A reflection from Brian Wagner, the Director of Hope Force Appalachia:

Have you ever experienced a place and people who capture your heart?  A place that isn’t necessarily home, but when you are there, it feels like it is?

Many nights I spend by the fire, usually burning boxes, but tonight I sit here reflecting on this summer, and trying to process the work of God as He has called me here. I don't pretend to have done anything on my own. I have only accomplished what He had in store and empowered myself and the teams to do. I think in many ways, this area has done more for me than I have done for it. As you enter into poverty, you discover a world of riches...and are faced with your own poverty. Poverty of finances, relationships, identity, community, depression, guilt, or shame.

We all have deep poverty that we hold onto. But the God of all comfort is in the uncomfortable, and His grace is far greater than whatever depth of poverty you face. Our God will pursue into the darkest deep to remind you of His love. He will climb to the highest peak you try to use for your escape. He is the one true God with a relentless and redemptive love who cannot be deterred...and who will pursue until we tire and turn to rest in His embrace. This is what McDowell County has been used for in my life. A reminder of who I am and whose I am. I am nothing less than a child of the Most High, and in His comfort I will continue to embrace the uncomfortable.  Thank you, McDowell County!

Hope Force Appalachia exists to alleviate the effects of systemic and generational poverty in McDowell County, WV.  It is a place that is filled with beauty — not only in the landscape, but more so in the people who call it home.  In January 2020, Hope Force International reintroduced their vision and mission for this part of America by bringing Brian Wagner back on staff to oversee the work, relationships, and partnerships in McDowell.  We are excited to announce that beginning this summer, 2021, we will be opening up the division to facilitate teams that wish to partner with Hope Force in the work here.

As an organization, we seek to build strong, lasting relationships with the people of the county — coming alongside them to help from a grassroots level in addressing the many challenges of McDowell.  It has been cited as one of the poorest places in America — suffering from extreme food insecurity, lack of infrastructure, and high unemployment because of the lack of jobs.  It is estimated that 75% of households do not have a gainfully employed individual, and 45% of kids do not live with either biological parent because of drug addiction, incarceration, or death.  All these statistics and realities pale in comparison to the grit and resiliency of the people who call McDowell home.  Carved within these mountains are hollows filled with beautiful people doing the best they can to make ends meet.  Their struggle is real, but their hope is greater.

Hope Force Appalachia places relationships ahead of projects, emphasizing and empowering ongoing partnerships between those in the county with those who serve alongside them from outside the county.  We understand that God is already at work in the lives of the people here, and it is our intention to come alongside them to accomplish what God has planned in this wonderful part of southern West Virginia.

Consider this an official invitation!

So pick up your hammer, and maybe a nail gun or two.  Bring your 4-wheeler, a sleeping bag, and definitely some bug spray.  Bring your team.  Be a part of God’s work here in McDowell, and join the people who make this place so special.

Wild and wonderful…West Virginia!

Ms. Bettie will win your heart with her baked treats, stories, and hospitality.  She welcomes Hope Force teams by making sure everyone’s sweet tooth is satisfied.  Just a few months ago, we discovered that her roof has been leaking for 8 years now, fixed numerous times by her son-in-law.  After a conversation with her, Hope Force Appalachia decided to fix this problem for her.  We will be removing her 3-tab shingles, applying new plywood, and laying architectural shingles.  She has promised to make sure our team that week doesn’t experience even a twinge of hunger!

Emmett and Elsie are a couple you won’t forget!  Just two doors down from the Hope Force staff house live a couple who are in their 80’s and living life to the fullest!  It’s hard to walk past their house without noticing their many dogs or their small garden that is meticulously maintained.  Two years ago they were in a major car accident that left them both with months of rehab and recovery.  Hope Force Appalachia provided covering for their front steps in order to keep ice from forming, but assessed the entire front porch as something that would need attention in the near future.  With rotting boards and failing support, their entire front porch is in need of repair.  We want to ensure that they are safe while going in and out of their house, as well as having the opportunity to sit on their front porch and enjoy their many hummingbirds that seem to congregate in their yard.  We will be completely reconstructing their front porch, bringing it back to what Elsie said it once was; "The Best Front Porch in Caretta, WV!"

Big Creek People in Action is one of our partners in McDowell County, WV.  They are just down the road from us, and have been a grassroots instrument of change in the county for years now.  Just recently they have opened up a clothes closet and food pantry that is well equipped and staffed to provide for the area of War, WV.  They are struggling with the heating costs of the building they acquired for this service, and our hope is to help alleviate that burden by winterizing the building for them.  From new windows to weatherization protocol, our hope is to assist them in ensuring that they can remain focused on their God-given call to provide food and clothing to the community without worrying about heating costs.

 

Nowhere else to turn…no one else to help.

Patsy is dealing with a creek that is relentless and slowly compromising her foundation.  McDowell County is a part of what is considered a temperate rainforest because of the amount of precipitation it receives every year.  With that rainfall comes erosion of creek beds behind the houses in Hollow #5, which is the street where the Hope Force team house is located.  Patsy’s roof began to separate about a year ago, and after further investigation and assessment, it is apparent that the reason for this is the fact that her foundation is compromised by erosion.  Hope Force Appalachia is planning to repair her foundation, knowing that it is just a temporary fix.  We are working with other organizations to find a new home for Patsy.

As Hope Force Appalachia, we need to raise funds in support of these exciting intiatives. Should you desire to be a part of that support, please DONATE below to Hope Force, specifying that it is for Appalachia.  Here is a breakdown of our needs:

Tools:  $2500 (impact drivers, table saws, compound mitre saws, pneumatic nailers, etc.)

Initial material costs:  $1000 (nails, screws, propane, blades, etc.)
Initial project costs to get the ball rolling:  $3500 (First project of the summer:  Ms Bettie’s roof)

We are in need of a dump trailer.  The cost is $6000 new, but we are putting the word out in hopes of someone having a used one we can purchase or gift to us.

Total initial funds needed:  $7000 plus a dump trailer

 

Individual Costs and Accommodations

$40/night per person plus $200 material cost per person (This includes lodging and food.  Food is purchased by Hope Force, and the team is responsible for preparing it for themselves.  If your team would rather get their own food, the nightly lodging cost is $25/night per person.

Lodging is in the Hope Force team house that is fully air conditioned and has 16 twin beds and 1 queen bed.  There is a full kitchen and dining area.  There is one full bath in the house and 4 half baths.  Additionally, our shower house has three private showers with changing areas.

Dates available for teams…Saturday night or Sunday arrival with Friday departure.

June 27-July 2:  Connecticut Team
July 4-July 9:  Tentative Indiana Team
July 11 – July 16:  Hope Force Reservist week (Open to all HFI Reservists)
July 18 – July 23:
July 25 – July 30:
August 1 – August 6:
August 8 – August 13:

More dates will be added for Fall 2021.

Other dates and opportunities throughout the year available upon request.

Please contact Brian Wagner to sign up, or for more information about Appalachia 

As you enter into McDowell County to serve, we would like to say:

Flexibility is key.  Hope Force Appalachia is intentional about developing and fostering relationships in the county.  No one is a project, and no project is more important that the one it is for.  Teams that engage with us are asked to come with a posture of humility — realizing that God is the one who is responsible for the change here in Appalachia.  We simply have the privilege of joining Him in that work.