HOME  I  WELCOME  I  SUNDAY SCHOOL  I  LEADERSHIP  I  MINISTRIES 
 CALENDAR  I  MISSIONS  I  NEWS

United Methodist Mountain Mission
Jackson, Kentucky

Mission seeks to cloak signs of mountain poverty
Brand-name gifts
 

By Roger Alford
Associated Press

JACKSON, Ky. - Don't expect to find every poor resident of Kentucky's mountain region dressed in threadbare, out-of-style clothes.
   In many cases, they're wearing the latest fashions from Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein or Ambercrombie & Fitch.
   The United Methodist Mountain Mission has been working for 60 years to erase outward signs of poverty in the region by making brand-name apparel available to everyone.
   ''I know we shouldn't be so hung up on name brands, but for kids who go to school it's an issue that they have to deal with,'' said Karen Bunn, executive director of the group. ''Our goal is not just making sure people have clothes on their backs, but it's helping them to feel good about themselves.''
   Five days a week, the Mountain Mission warehouse in Jackson is a flurry of activity, with trucks hauling in load after load of donated clothing, furniture, appliances, toys and other items needed by families in the mountain region.
   Drivers make rounds to churches in Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, picking up merchandise from more affluent congregations who donate items they no longer need.
   A small army of workers sorts the clothing by condition, gender and season, then sends the best of Ralph Lauren, Liz Claiborne, Ann Taylor, Sag Harbor and other fashion giants to nine second-hand stores in small towns throughout eastern Kentucky.
   The Mountain Mission charges for merchandise to give people a sense of pride in ownership that they couldn't receive from handouts. The prices are low enough that children of a fast-food waitress can wear Alyce Designs just like kids of the wealthiest merchants.
   Formal gowns by Liz Claiborne go for $10, easing the financial burden on teenagers going to the high school prom. Stafford suits go for $8. Tommy Hilfiger jeans are marked at $5. Ambercrombie & Fitch shirts are $3.
   Donated clothing that isn't in good enough condition to be sold gets cut into rags for distribution to repair shops across the region, but not before the buttons are removed and collected in containers to be sold.
   ''We're sort of like the pig farmer,'' said Ann Turner, one of the warehouse workers. ''We use everything except the oink.''
   In a region known for high unemployment, the Mountain Mission provides jobs for 68 people, including truck drivers, warehouse workers and sales clerks.
   The annual budget of nearly $1.5 million covers wages and benefits for employees, and supports two local churches and a youth center for eastern Kentucky teenagers.
   Bonnie Strong, manager of the Opportunity Store in Jackson, said customers appreciate the bargains they find on top-quality fashions. She said her customers aren't always living in poverty.
   Often they're bankers, teachers, anyone who wants top quality at low prices, she said. The diversity of customers is welcomed because it helps remove any social stigma that low-income residents might feel buying clothing in a second-hand shop.
   ''You see people in here who have money and who don't have money,'' said Brenda Little, a customer at the Jackson store. ''It's just a good place to shop. You can get really good name-brand merchandise, clothing for your whole family, at prices you can afford.''
   Little, 48, said she bought clothing for her children in the store when they were growing up and now she shops for her grandchildren.
   Strong said the clothing sold in her store looks so new that no one would know otherwise.
   ''We want to provide merchandise that is useable, that can make people feel good about themselves,'' Bunn said.
   The Mountain Mission began 21 years before former President Lyndon Johnson came to eastern Kentucky to declare war on poverty. Johnson's visit on April 24, 1964, was to focus attention on the nation's poorest residents as he sought to beef up the federal welfare program.
   Bunn said the Mountain Mission has been effective alongside the welfare program because it doesn't strip residents of their dignity.
   ''We're here to provide needed services,'' she said. ''Our customers help us to do that by shopping in our stores. We all benefit.''
 

Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Sunday, November 16, 2003.

Return to Missions Page

HOME  I  WELCOME  I  SUNDAY SCHOOL  I  LEADERSHIP  I  MINISTRIES 
 CALENDAR  I  MISSIONS  I  NEWS