In the heart of Appalachia’s Cumberland Mountains, the town of Beverly is home to Red Bird Mission, a poverty relief organization that serves a remote, impoverished population in Bell, Clay, and Leslie counties in southeastern Kentucky. Access to the region can be difficult, depending on the weather and time of year. Public services and infrastructure are minimal, and lack of education is a significant issue. Public water is inadequate and there’s no public sewer. Telephone and electricity service are unreliable during bad weather.

According to the 2024 Census data:

• In Bell County 28% of people and 31% of children live below the poverty line
• In Clay County 32% of people and 47% of children live below the poverty line
• In Bell and Clay County ~40% of households have an income of under $25,000
• In Bell County 57% of housing units are valued under $100,000
• The median household income in Beverly, Kentucky is approximately $47,000

Red Bird Mission is the local coordinating agency that refers families in need and distributes groceries purchased by Family-to-Family donating families. Red Bird is a National Mission Institution of The United Methodist Church, and since 1921, it has provided educational, medical, and community outreach programs for residents of the Red Bird River Valley.

In addition to its regular sponsorship program to help families living under the poverty line, Family-to-Family also supports “The Gap Pantry” at Red Bird Mission, which provides food to struggling families with incomes just over the poverty line. Through this sponsorship program, low income, working families can “shop” (no funds needed), for the foods they most need at the “Gap” pantry. Read more about “Gap” family sponsorship here.

Community Contact
Candace Collins
Red Bird Mission
70 Queendale Center
Beverly, KY 40913

To learn more about the area:

• What’s the Matter With Eastern Kentucky?
• In Depressed Rural Kentucky, Worries Mount Over Medicaid Cutbacks
• Poverty in Clay County: How Poverty Came About

Data Sources: Censusreporter.org, U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS 5-year estimates, 2024)

Yes, I’d like to sponsor a family!