HINDMAN, Ky. — While the journey to recovery for eastern Kentucky has included support from many outside of the region, one church in Knott County took charge to get the community back on track.
Jan Stumbo is a longtime member of Hindman Methodist Church, and said they have shifted their ministry for almost a year since recovery became a necessity.
She’s a Sunday school teacher and the president of the women’s club, but since last year has adopted the title of assistant chair of the church’s disaster recovery program.
“Half of our sanctuary, we had water in three of our Sunday school rooms,” Stumbo recalled. “And so our initial response was some of us came down to sweep the water out.”
However, calls came in for donation drop-offs, which meant recovery would include helping as many as possible in the community.
The church became a supply station for essentials.
“We had them stacked that high from the end of the church to the end of this sidewalk,” Stumbo said.
The church, which suffered slight damage itself, amassed donations from in and around the area.
Stumbo recalled one family with a loved one in hospice care that drove out to help.
“It still makes me cry even now to think about all the things that they bought. Everything, I mean, [they] brought food, they brought paper supplies, they brought disinfectants, brought water,” she explained.
It was in these moments that she realized no matter what, they will support one another.
“Our church had a reputation as being the rich church, which we’ve never been the rich church, but now we have a reputation of caring for the community,” Stumbo said.
It’s a reputation earned in the service of others. Stumbo says the experience has helped forge a new, healthy relationship with their community.