Discovering McDowell County, West Virginia

they say there's just there's really nothing here but there's people that people come together and that's what I like in this area is that if you need something somebody's there that ought to be our number one priority as a country that every family has food on the table that no one goes without food good people do exist I find them every day that's truth [Music] during one of our best you best me meetings I mentioned to one of our directors that we should do an act of kindness in West Virginia before I could finish my sentence she said McDowell County I looked at the county on the intranet and realized that the people there are suffering due to loss of coal jobs and two major floods in early 2000 we decided that the best method would be to get in touch with local priests in the county and get some guidance from them on how we can best assist after calling countless churches but finally got in touch with father Tony I made a plan to drive up there and meet him I also loaded the truck full of food as the church how the food drive every few weeks to distribute food and clothes to those in need in the area here's my experience the wonderful people of Welch you can hear it in their own words about the challenges they're facing and what help they need the most [Music] it's such an honor to meet you hi great to meet you so what are the luxuries in the area like use in the area are things that most women take for granted they might get a haircut once a year and that's including them in and don't get haircuts a adult dollar thing of nail polish so they can do their nails because women are women they may pick up a 298 rosebush because they're gonna have some beauty around them if they can important at all and they're happy because that's their biggest was that very very simple and very gracious people well I I'm not originally from this area we've had so many stores that have closed here the Walmart's all that kind of stuff and I've noticed that this area and these people they get very humble when somebody does something for them it's like it's like a Christmas for them you know because a lot of people are or have a lot of poverty here and it's sad for me to see the kids that are still here and they have nothing so by them getting things like food or clothing or any of that kind of stuff it's like say it's like another Christmas point this is actually one of the poorer areas of the country there's no stores the like having a Walmart within a 30-minute Drive you're used to that down there and here we have to drive an hour to get out to a department store this County's down to I think maybe two grocery stores that I've seen we have a lot of dollar stores but they don't always have everything you need I know this County was devastated by at least two floods back in 2000 and 2002 a lot of the population of this county moved after the floods and there's a lot of families that stayed but even in the last year I've noticed a drop in the population in this area where people have either moved away or gone somewhere else to look for work because they just can't find it here it's sad to see a vibrant beautiful town die and slowly die you see the houses falling you just see the empty as you see black of necessities and yet they have family reunions and things and I can gain weight with the food that is it's all home-cooked just table foods that a lot of people probably wouldn't even eat but they put it together and you can gain weight on it it's delicious you know just to the doors always open for you to come in and accept the Lord and that's what he wants to do and he give us the opportunity to the receiver than everything as I said the doors open all you gotta do is open or forgot me into your heart this is what I believe and know what is it that makes you happy will be happy it's very much like the communities got the communities back down here and that's what I like about it Welch's open it up to me like like my hometown never did I don't know a long time ago I realized happiness was as much a choice as it was anything you know you can choose to be happy with the cards you're dealt or you can choose not to and your attitude and outlook on life vastly affects what you're gonna get out of it what could you guys use more of here diapers I could use diapers mom we can use pots and pans kitchen of kitchen things simple sheets we had a lot of blankets now see it's like everything sometimes you get a lot of stuff when we get livery in and on the food side it's it's your more nutritious food peanut butter beans rice macaroni that kind of stuff so all of the clothes and the kitchen utensils know this this is silverware daal have been donated this is all food we buy is food and we do spend a little bit on on diapers but not know what we get is what we put out sometimes there's lots of pots and pans sometimes it's not any sometimes there's lots of dishes sometimes it's not what's the best part of your work being able to to talk with our people converse with them that's the best part seeing meeting them face-to-face that's that's why you really you really have to rub shoulders with the port it will change you and so that's the one thing you know it's wonderful that people send money and yes and that's needed and all that's fine but we encourage you to really rub shoulders with the poor you will learn a lot about yourself and they will teach you many many wonderful lessons about life can you those of us who are know fairly well-to-do and have every staff security and all that we have no understanding what it's like to be poor we don't understand it or what it's like to never be affirmed always be considered oh it's those people and you're beginning to realize that we're partially responsible for calling them those people you know and I don't care what your religious background is or your love philosophy of life is but they're all I think based on the same issue which is care for other people and I'm afraid that some of us fall short can you give us an example of time when maybe someone poor touch something to you or taught you something that's I've made an impression on you or said something that you uh may think all the time Eugene yeah lots of different stories yeah Eugene was a guy living in a house by himself and he was a retired miner disabled living on what Napoles six not even six hundred dollars a month probably back then and Eugene had a leaky roof and when I went to check the loo and I needed help with and when I wanted to check the roof this wasn't just a leaky roof I mean it was like it was encouraging the rain they're coming so he couldn't use his bathroom he couldn't use his bedroom he couldn't use his kitchen he basically was left with one room with a coal stove in the corner the room was covered with black because the coal stove and he had a very bad back I was his disability from the mines and he slept on a ratty couch with a peaceful with a piece of plywood on it and we a group that volunteers not necessarily myself went in there and I kept saying to Eugene so you went in to fix it but anyway I kept when I visited Eugene I had to be very careful I kept saying well I don't know if we can afford to fix this I don't know if we have the people who fix it I don't know anything don't count on anything and in this mess that he lived in sleeping on this plywood and in this suit covered room with a pan of potato just boiling potatoes that's what he lived off these potatoes Eugene said to me he looked at me he said I don't I don't care if you fix my roof what mean you don't care for fixer roof he said the only thing that means anything to me is that somebody caters now the rest of the story they did a good job on the roof the volunteer crew for this what's not cheap about a month or two later I hear that you Jane has died and of course being very practical I said to myself torn and we just spent all that money on the roof but then I realized they said Eugenia died and they found him dead in bed I thought that was the greatest thing I've done in years Eugene died in bed not on that ratty couch on a piece of plywood that's the story of the Jean what message would you guys have to encourage anyone they would want to be helpful to this county I would say what you don't need think about sharing with those who do need not very simple anything you don't need and don't use all the time someone else could use we love having you come down and help us in West Virginia but there's people down your street and need help if not money they need a kind word maybe some concern and it needs some caring and probably there are people even in your richest counties not everybody's rich they're poor people everyplace find them find them the people of McDowell County are in urgent need of food clothing and daily necessities best you bes me is conducting a food drive or we will fill a truck or two in Loudoun County and drive it to McDowell County on June 9th 2019 if you would like to help out contact us at best you as meat org [Music]

Channel: Best You Best Me

Views: 31,354

Rating: 4.8541665 out of 5

Keywords: bybm, best you best me, richard zaher, Welch, McDowell County, west virginia, SpreadKindness, kindness, Father Tony, helping people, food drive, Appalachia, helping mcdowell county, clothing drive, appalachian region, helping communities, coal jobs, discovering mcdowell county, service, St. Peter Catholic Church, Arnie Simonse, Kathy Simonse, St. Vincent de Paul Conference, Anne Hayward, Christopher Rocky Rebecca Hayward, Philip Hayward, Amy McKinney, Rev. Luis Anthony Lacson

Id: VDx5j8EuaBs

Length: 14min 2sec (842 seconds)

Published: Fri May 10 2019