Trips to Letcher County

One of our organization’s core focuses is on lending a helping hand to those who have been disproportionately affected by climate change and environmental injustice. In 2022, Eastern Kentucky was hit with a flood like none other, receiving 15 inches of rain in 8 days. The communities there are still recovering, one day at a time. Our organization has had the pleasure of working with many members of the community, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, and Friends for Environmental Justice. Check out some of the trips we’ve taken below. To learn more or come on a trip, reach out to our email: clean4changeky@gmail.com.

April 2024 Trip

Our organization started our trips to Letcher County in April of 2024. This trip was focused on helping a member of the community that had not been able to return to their house since July 28, 2022. We worked on clearing out rooms that were damaged in the floods to prepare for demolition and rebuilding of some rooms of the home. We were able to salvage many of their belongings, and tear out some dry wall that needed fixing. This family is now one step closer to returning home!

May 2024 Trip

This trip we were able to bring two new volunteers and continue our work on the previous family’s home. We were able to clear out the rest of the house and tear down some drywall that had been damaged in the floods. We had proper personal protective equipment donated to us through the Mutual Aid Disaster Relief Fund, and we were able to complete more work because of it! The trip was not all work though, we were able to see many of the sights around town and get to know some of the locals. We can’t wait to come back!

June Trip 2024

Our third trip to Letcher was slightly different. Because we had finished working on the house and the family was able to take the renovations from there, we started working on a new project. The Colson Civic Center is a main hub around town, with a thrift store on one side, community gathering spaces on another, and many events held there throughout the year. But the 2022 floods damaged the building severely. We started repainting the center, room by room, to ensure that the space is ready again for use soon!