Christmas in Appalachia is tender and complicated. Money is tight most of the year, and it stretches even thinner when parents start picking out gifts and planning Christmas dinners.

Out here we don’t always have the finest feast, the nicest clothes, or the fattest wallets. What we have is people. The kind you can call when you’re broke down on the side of the road.

Candace Litton, Women and Children Ministries Coordinator, says, “With the recent shutdown and the holidays drawing near, many families are feeling the weight of the season more than ever. Because of this generosity, they were able to feel seen, supported, and deeply cared for. Their gratitude was overwhelming, and it reminded us just how much these acts of kindness truly matter.”

Candace Litton, Women and Children Ministries Coordinator, says, “With the recent shutdown and the holidays drawing near, many families are feeling the weight of the season more than ever. Because of this generosity, they were able to feel seen, supported, and deeply cared for. Their gratitude was overwhelming, and it reminded us just how much these acts of kindness truly matter.”

Today, my Appalachian Studies class had the privilege of visiting Portal 31 in Harlan County, a historic coal mine that now stands as a museum preserving the story of Kentucky’s coal heritage.

Concern over hunger continues and the pace of response at Red Bird Mission Community Outreach is picking up. On Saturday, the good folks from Murfreesboro, Tennessee showed up to unload 3,500 pounds sweet potatoes coming through the Society of Saint Andrew.

Low income elderly residents living in isolated areas without transportation receiving home-delivered meals from Red Bird Mission Elderly Ministries can relax for a few weeks. Compassionate individuals and churches learning about the potential shutdown of vital meals have stepped up to make donations...

The 2025 Annual Alumni Homecoming weekend started today with students from Red Bird Christian School (RBCS) travelling to the original Beverly Campus for a chapel service in the historic Beverly Church.

Red Bird Christian School staff and some of the Senior Class stopped in Springville, Alabama on Tuesday to visit the legendary Barb Smith who taught at Red Bird for 33 years.

Red Bird Mission Work Camp does not schedule teams the week of Labor Day, but the north end of Queendale Campus was filled this week with lots of familiar faces, and some new faces, opening up the Fall Work Camp “season.”

Red Bird Mission Work Camp does not schedule teams the week of Labor Day, but the north end of Queendale Campus was filled this week with lots of familiar faces, and some new faces, opening up the Fall Work Camp “season.”

Inside the Red Bird Mission DeWall Senior Center, you will find a welcoming atmosphere and a strong sense of belonging.