CARLISLE, Ky. — The town of Carlisle is still piecing the community back together. God's Pantry of Fayette County partnered with The Community Action Council three years ago to put food on tables in Carlisle. July's flood wiped out Save A Lot, the town’s only grocery store. Now Community Action Council volunteers and staff are giving food to flood survivors as well.
Every month at Community Action Council in Carlisle "food drops" happen which means they receive thousands of pounds of frozen food, fresh vegetables and fruit and nonperishable food items for residents and flood survivors in need. Tracey Snapp works at Community Action Council through the Vita Tax program but she also is a volunteer when it comes time for people in the community to receive their food boxes every fourth Tuesday of the month.
“Penny and I are getting this next one, it is got two so they got to get their carrots and all their good stuff. She is doing the bread and the doughnuts,” said Snapp.
Together the two split the tasks with dozens of volunteers and staff from the Community Action Council. They are giving food to flood survivors in Carlisle.
“Put that on top, there we go, OK honey you are ready. Anything I can do to help because this is home, this is where my family is, this is where my friends are, this is where I went to school here. Yeah she said it is getting pretty bad” said Snapp.
Tracey Snapp knows it is more than giving food away, it is about checking on each other like a family.
“We are such a small community we pretty much know everybody and if somebody’s sick it goes through the community and everybody knows what is going on,” said Snapp.
The "food drops" at the Community Action Council happen every fourth Tuesday of the month and Snapp never misses one. She has lived in Carlisle all 55 years of her life. Snapp has seen the devastation of the flood and knows her community needs her. The Community Action Council has served 144 families every year for the last three years.
“I know everybody pretty much in the community, in town and out of town and I see a lot ya know and I see the people that really need the help,” said Snapp.
Angie Schalch has served at Community Action Council for a total of 22 years, 14 of which she has served as the center manager. She also knows how much the Carlisle community needs resources like the Community Action Council.
“Many people lost their homes, with that we lost the only grocery store in the community. Save A Lot is currently working on rebuilding but that is some months out so people are having to travel outside of the county to purchase what they need and supplies are in short demand so it has really been a struggle,” said Schalch.
Shawna Hatton serves as an employee for Community Action Council through the Connect Program which allows her to offer life insurance to those who do not have any, that is something she has had to do more often since the flood.
“Some of our flood victims were not insured at the time with health insurance so being able to help them has been a huge part in what we do. When the flood happened, it was very devastating, it is one thing not to have flood insurance which is devastating enough but to know we can at least give them good health insurance, that is amazing,” said Hatton.
Volunteers and employees at Community Action Council have one thing in common and that is to help those that need it in their community.
“I enjoy doing it, we are helping people that need help. With the disaster that Carlisle suffered this year, anybody that wants to help it is greatly appreciated,” said Snapp.
Community Action Council says families in Nicholas county that are interested in the food drop can submit applications in january. They will look for 144 families to fill the slots for 6 months worth of food. more information about Carlisle's long-term recovery by going to their Facebook group.