Leveraging Community Connections: Collaborative Food Delivery to Appalachian Families

This report presents the outcomes of a home food delivery pilot led by Save the Children in collaboration with Amazon, Midwest Food Bank, Christ’s Hands, and local school districts in eastern Kentucky. The initiative operated across five districts in Harlan and Bell counties, providing weekly food boxes to more than 1,000 households and serving approximately 2,700 children from March 2023 to August 2024.
A mixed-methods evaluation revealed that the program:
1. met strong community demand,
2. successfully reached high-need families experiencing financial hardship and limited transportation access, and
3. improved children’s access to nutritious food.
The pilot underscores the potential of cross-sector partnerships to effectively address rural food insecurity through non-congregate meal delivery. The report details key lessons learned related to enrollment, logistics, and funding, and outlines strategies to support long-term sustainability and aligned policy.