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Crossing the Gap is a nonprofit community organization founded and based in Claiborne County that exists to assist individuals and families in the transition from a place of struggle to a place of success.
It all started around 2019 when the Harrogate Christian Tabernacle Church of God and pastor Timothy Goins put together food boxes to help relieve the burden for some local families around the Thanksgiving holiday. Now the organization works with several local churches, businesses and agencies to provide Thanksgiving meals along with a monthly senior feeding program.
“Several years ago we started putting together Thanksgiving boxes for some of the families in our area. We decided at that point the easiest way for us to find out who would be in need was to reach out to a couple of our schools,” Goins said. “We started with a couple of local schools just to see how it was going to go. From there it progressed up to us forming Crossing the Gap almost three years ago.”
It started with around 30 Thanksgiving boxes and now Crossing the Gap works with all of the county’s schools as well as Clinch-Powell Headstart to provide meals to over 200 families, including over 600 kids.
“We started just as a desire to help and it moved on up into doing a whole lot more than just Thanksgiving boxes,” Goins said. “Our desire with Crossing the Gap was to bring all of our local churches together, our local agencies, local businesses, whatever the case may be together to serve our community.”
Goins said the senior meal program has moved over 13,000 pounds of food so far this year.
“Every month we feed the elderly in our county that are unable to get out of their home whether they are sick or just unable to drive,” he said.
Though it’s based in Harrogate, Crossing the Gap works all across Claiborne County.
“A big part of what we do is going over to Clairfield — we’ve done a back to school event there the last three years, 80 percent of our senior food boxes go over to Clarfield,” Goins said. “We really work hard to make a difference in the lives of our county citizens on the other side of the mountain.”
The organization also has an emergency food program for families and individuals in need.
“One of the things we pride ourselves on being direct impact. We make sure the people that are getting the resources we are able to provide them are truly in need,” Goins said. “We’re not a drive-thru food pantry, we make sure the people receiving our services are 100-percent in need. Then we continue to follow up with them to help them get everything they need to be successful or to make a change in their lives.”
Last year Crossing the Gap was able to give $500 scholarships to one student from Claiborne High School and one at Cumberland Gap High School.
“We have the students write an essay so we can find out what kind of struggles they had gone through in their lives and how they planned to make a difference in their community once they graduate,” Goins said. “We want to see how they wanted to use the struggle they have been through to make a difference in the lives of someone else.”
The nonprofit also has volunteering opportunities for high school and college students to earn community service hours. Goins said information about that can be found on their website: www.crossingthegap.org.
“We really did well last year by utilizing LMU students for our Thanksgiving distribution and packing and all of that,” he said.
During the month of September the group held a Charity Car Show in Cumberland Gap and hosted Kickstands for Kids, a motorcycle ride from the Gap through Middlesboro, over Fonde Mountain and into Clairfield.
“Just like our car show, 100-percent of the proceeds we get are going right back into Claiborne County. The money we’re raising right now is going to our Thanksgiving meal program,” Goins said. “We’re a partner agency with Second Harvest and we were able to get some things for free last year, but we’re going to have to pay for everything this year.”
To make a donation, volunteer, refer someone in need or learn more information about Crossing the Gap find them on Facebook, visit www.crossingthegap.org or by calling 423-419-0254.
“They can get directly in touch with me and if I can’t make it happen, I’ve got folks that can. We can reach out to others in our area, if we’re not able to provide the services they need we’ll steer them in the right direction,” Goins said.