Welcome to Kentucky

Cumberland Mountain Outreach Ministries, Inc. is a faith based nonprofit organization (mission) 501/c3 for children at risk in impoverished counties in the Appalachian Region. We demonstrate Jesus’ teaching through the many facets of this mission: feeding the hungry, clothing the less fortunate, offering part time jobs, home repair, conducting 5 weeks of kid’s camps, teen trainings, all the while sharing the love of Jesus. We believe that many will come to know God in a greater way because, of the unconditional love that is shown through the volunteer staff. 

 As you may know, Lee County is located in rural Eastern Ky. It has a very high poverty rate of 34.41 % according to the latest stats from the US Census Bureau, in 2015 Lee County with the medium household income being at $23,072.00 a year. When compared to the state medium income of $53.482. I have seen families trying to live on $500- $700 a month. It is easy to see why so many of our families can’t even meet their basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter. The state census show that 42% of children under the age of 18 live in poverty. 80% of the children live with their Grandparents, due mostly to the opioid epidemic,  and this was  going on long before the Corona Virus. 

The Home Repair Applications are for families needing help with basic home repairs. We received 40 Home Repair Applications in the early spring.

                    We interviewed all the families, made a folder for each of them, and posted on Facebook (Cumberland Mountain’s page) in photo albums. Then the Corona virus hit, and Church teams could not come to help the families.  One Church family from Clear Branch, AL. selected 3 families to serve for the week they were here in KY.

You can go to KY19 on Facebook and see more photos of Centerville Christian Church youth  IN. of 2019.This Church has been sending youth to us for 15 years.  

      At the same time the men were working on the homes, 2 of the women visited 4 homes for an “AT HOME KID’S DAY CAMP” they used part of the Discovery Clubs program; you can find it on youtube.com. The Discovery clubs are great teaching tools, from creation,  to Jesus  for your kids. 

 The youth from Birmingham AL. area did a clothing competition drive. The youth sent all the clothing for 153 children for a back to school give away.

When the virus is over and your Church or group would like to come and be a blessing, call us at 606-464-8134 to reserve your dates. Or if you would like to sponser a Church youth group or family, send your gift to us, remember to put what program or  who you want to help. 

 The Teens In Leadership Program known as TILP, is a 3 to 6 year program, developed at Cumberland Mountain Outreach in 2007. This program helps pre-teens through high school develop Christian leadership skills. At the end of this year we will lose 3 high school seniors, at that time they will become Kentucky Colonels, a great honor and greatly deserved. This year’s summer team was: Leader intern Mandy Williamson, senior Rayah Weeks, senior Riddick Blanton, senior Donald Napier, Faith Hernandez, Mercedes Sandlin, Rebecca Weeks, Hunter Weeks and director Cindy Evanoff. Because of the safety guide lines with the Corona virus some of the teens could not come to all the activities at the same time. So we don’t have a group photo of all of teens.

         We receive a grant from Americans Helping Americans (AHA) for 2020 Kid’s Camp and the TILP program. The Teen In Leadership Program ( TILP) put to gather a three day “at home kids camp” program based on the Bible verse 1 Timothy 4:12 NIV Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct in love in faith and in purity.    We reached four families a day. We know that these children eat well, get plenty of exercise, and grew in self-respect and love in the Lord. 

  Working with AHA to provide food for Lee County families, and education for the teens on how to develop 3 different kinds of gardening; Hydroponics, Aquaponics, and traditional gardening, maintaining and processing, then give all the food away to 720 Sr. citizens and 2 homeless shelters. 

The events the youth have assisted CMO with and committed to do yearly in Lee County: school programs throughout the year, 4th of July fireworks offering free Tattoos’, glow sticks, and snow cones free to all. The Ready-fest, helping families get ready for school, we work with the Lee County Family Resource Center (FRC)/ Elementary School FRC, and Lee County also offer Middle/High School FRC., Woolly Worm Festival free games, Balloons and Free Kid’s Tattoos’ and a Shark tank (fish game) for all and parade, and don’t forget Christmas party. 

Riddick, Rebecca, Hunter in the back, Donald, Rayah. on July 7th these teens gave out 360 food boxes to low-income Senior Citizens.

With the leftover funds from summer camp, we started a Corona Virus POD school, for those with weak immune systems and high risk homes.   

Here at CMO, Celebrate “The Light (JESUS)”, is one of the largest Christmas lights presentations in the area. We are trying to go solar this year as much as we can. 

Children last Christmas received a free hot lunch, 5 new gifts, pictures with Santa, played games, and endless cocoa.   We give Christmas gifts to the jail with 150 prisoners, the September Place has 86 clients (it’s a low-income Retirement Community), 100 Nursing home patients, and all shoppers at the Second Hand Rose. About 400 guests come here to C.M.O. for our annual Christmas party. BUT this year on Dec. 12 from 11:00 to 3:00 we will be hosting a Charley Brown drive thru Christmas, that will give food and toys to over 500 addles and children. Thanks to AHA and a team of 20 volunteers from Georgetown/ Cynthiana, KY area Church Of God, that has been working with us for 8 years to provide a Christmas for children.

The Second Hand Rose (thrift store) is volunteer ran, the clothing prices are: kid's clothing $.50, all tops $1.00, pants $2.00, coats and nice dresses $2.00, but to the truly needy (homeless and burned out) and over 100 back to school Kid’s, it's all free. We are always in need of household items. 

Our food pantry is open week days from 10:00 to 3:00 for families in need of emergency food. We average about 25-30 families a week. The food is purchased with money donated through Churches, individuals, and the Fifth Sunday Hymn Sing.

Because of the lack of income in our county, there is much hunger. When you have to choose between food and a bill, you give up the good food and make cheap bad food choices or do without all together, so you can pay the bills. 80% of Senior Citizens are starving, I never realized the need for food until we started working with the USDA, Gods Food Bank and the Lee County Fiscal Court, we provide food box’s to 360 low-income Senior Citizens once a month. Thanks to AHA we have been able to give away turkeys for ten years in Nov.  We have received many thanks, and stories of what Thanksgiving would have been like without this turkey gift. It is hard to image, Thanksgiving dinner with a can of spam. 

 We did receive the Americans Helping Americans   grant for utility assistance for families in need of help. In the 2019 grant we could give a one time a year assistance of $20.00 for 200 families.  This year because of the virus, we could give $30.00 monthly to help the same families. This gives the families time to raise the rest of the money needed before the service was turned off.  In some cases, because of the contract the family has, not having utilities would make them homeless. 

God has put together a great volunteer team, here at CMO Pam and Diane co manage The Second Hand Rose Thrift Store. David Evanoff keeps the camp looking great and running smoothly, he also is the pickup and delivery man. We are working with many volunteer work programs from K- tap (food stamp program) Ready to work HCTC, an educational program for Moms. Candace Gazzara is one of them, she has been with us for 3 years, and we have her for 1 more year, before she graduates college, and becomes a social worker. You will find her working all over the camp, but mostly in the office as the camp director, and the cabins area as a host for AIRBNB.

You may ask, “What do you do Cindy?” The answer is “I get to live my best life ever, helping and ministering where I can. I’m the CEO, programs director, always coming up with the next event, improvements’ and grants.” SO LOOK OUT!  

  There is 3 year volunteer that is always here and willing to lend a hand, his name is Riddick, one of the TILP inters that will be graduating this year, and he has so earned the title of Kentucky Cornel.

   A special thank you, to all the Florida ladies for your prayers and support. And Mattie Kelly and the woman that makes 100s of hats, scarves, and little sundresses for the children here in KY.

  The Lee County Fiscal Court is now charging us $500.00 a month in a 2 year lease. So, if you thought about helping us financially, now’s a good time.

CMO would not be here without GOD, His people, their prayers, and support. Thank you for believing in us so we can continue in God’s work here in Appalachia.

In HIS Love, Cindy Evanoff  

  We have suffered a great loss, of a long time co- volunteer, friend and mentor Miss Rose. She loved running The Second Hand Rose for the past 18 years, 2 years before that she was the grounds manager. That is where the pond and the rose gardens were started. She was a mother to me, loving friend and my Maid of honor.   I miss her sense of humor, and words of wisdom, but most of all the time we spent together, as she told stories of her back mountain childhood. She loved her children Debbie, Mike, MaryAnn, her grandchildren, and great grandchildren.   She loved to spend time with Church teams that would come to KY from all over the United States. We would go to Hoe Down Island in the summer weekends, and sometimes she would do the hokey pokey and stay out till the dance closed. What fun times we had! She had a love/hate relationship with a gray cat; one of her granddaughters gave her. She named Sidney, he was very independent, some would say mean, but she loved him anyway. This Christmas a banner is hanging in downtown Beattyville, with Miss Rose’s Photo on it, the words on it say, Miss Rose Roberts lived love well. This spring, we found a gray kitten, outside the office, we named Sidney

   Our senior interns, by the names of Donald Napier, Morgan Williamson. Amanda Williamson, Riddick Blanton, Rayah Weeks, and our esteemed employee Candace Collins Gazzara have all been given the honor of Kentucky Colonel for their outstanding community service over these last few years. Many of these individuals have also became graduates of High School along with this honor and for these things, we congratulate them, and know that as they set out into the world to live their lives, they will enrich the environment and their fellow man wherever they go, as they have with the area that they came from. We thank you all for everything you have done to not only support this mission and it's endeavors, but for all the lives you have affected and the beautiful community that you have worked so vigorously to improve. Farewell.