Rockin Appalachian Moms Project

About Martin County, Kentucky

In 1964, President Johnson launched the "War on Povery" from a front porch in Martin County. But today, Martin County remains one of the poorest in America, with 33 percent of residents in poverty, roughly twice the national average. For Martin County children the situation is even worse: 45 percent live in poverty,  with 73 percent eligible for free or subsidized school lunch (2010 Census; Feeding America).

For many, hunger is a daily reality. 21 percent of adults—31 percent of children—are “food insecure”, or lack regular access “to enough nutritious food for an active, healthy life” (Feeding America; USDA). For many children the best or only, meals they get are at school; without RAMP’s backpack snack program, they would face hunger every month.

In addition, the county faces staggering economic challenges. During the recession, the Appalachian region lost all jobs gained since 2000, and employment opportunities remain extremely scarce. With national unemployment at 7.9 percent and falling, Martin County is at 10.7 percent and rising (Bureau of Labor Statistics; FRED). The region relies heavily on the coal industry and lacks diverse, sustainable alternatives: two of the largest employers—Arch Coal and Alpha National—laid off more than 600 miners last year, and more layoffs are anticipated. And population outmigration is alarming, as young people look for opportunities elsewhere (ARC).

 

About RAMP

RAMP was founded in 2009 by Amy Guerrieri, an entrepreneur and mother of four who lives in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. After seeing a documentary by Diane Sawyer describing the severe and chronic poverty of central Appalachia, Amy rallied fellow moms and headed to Martin County in eastern Kentucky to see how she could help. She quickly discovered that the enormous needs of children and families in the area were not being met.

Three years later, RAMP has established seven programs focused on hunger relief, nutrition education, and economic development. We understand that basic needs must be met, but that in order to overcome chronic poverty, people need to have access to the tools, knowledge, and experience needed to help themselves.

 

RAMP's Vision and Mission

RAMP envisions a poverty-free Appalachia. RAMP's mission is to connect resources, invest in communities, and empower children and families to lift themselves out of poverty, beginning in Martin County, Kentucky. RAMP's response has evolved from a short-term effort to deliver emergency food and basic supplies, to a long-term community-driven, results-oriented commitment to build nutritionally secure and economically robust communities in rural Appalachia.

RAMP is more than an organization: it is a movement. It begins in Martin County, but includes a much broader vision. Martin County is a pilot project, where we have already seen significant and sustainable changes take place. RAMP’s long-term goal is to end hunger and poverty in Martin County, and then move on the next county, and the next—to eventually scale up until we reach struggling children and families throughout the Appalachian region, and then throughout the country. Working community-to-community, family-to-family, mom-to-mom, and kid-to-kid, RAMP can make a difference.