Grantee Highlight: Hemphill Bakery

About Grantee: Hemphill Community Center was founded in 1968 & Blacksheep Bakery was founded in 2018 with startup costs fronted by Appalshop and The Letcher County Culture Hub.Amount Awarded: $750 Technical Assistance Funding and support through our partner the Central Appalachian Arts & Culture Growth FundSupported: Our technical assistance funding supported Wi-Fi thermostats to offset the cost of electric bills — in addition to other operational needs.The creation of the bakery was motivated by recognizing the need to respond to the social problems that have resulted from the collapse of the coal economy in Eastern Kentucky — namely the rise of drug addiction, the impacts of incarceration, and the resulting collapse of community and family life. Hemphill and Blacksheep Bakery address these issues through creating an inclusive community space, offering second chances through employment at the bakery which provides nourishing and accessible food to the local community.Like many of ACF’s grantees and partners Hemphill Community Center is doing the vital work of building an inclusive community space and, throughout their work, the Community Center continues to demonstrate their intention to create a space where people feel a sense of belonging and care.Hemphill Community Center Outreach Director and Blacksheep Bakery cofounder, Gwen Johnson, is a core member of The Appalachian Community Fund’s Philanthropic Partner, the Central Appalachian Arts Assembly. Gwen Johnson describes her draw to baking in terms of the tradition of breaking bread together.ACF is proud to have supported Blacksheep Bakery through technical assistance during it’s very first year of operations. Since its inception, Blacksheep Bakery has employed multiple individuals recovering from addiction. At the end of its first year of operations, Blacksheep had created and sustained three of those positions — and, currently, have six on staff.“For me, it’s the ancient hospitality tradition. If I’m mad at somebody, I’m sure not gonna set down and eat with them, but then when I do sit down and eat with somebody, even if I don’t know them or they're foreign to me, it’s like something has been transformed.”When asked what made Appalachian food particularly special, Gwen noted:“Our food is made to sustain hard-working people. That doesn’t at all fit our stereotype but that’s what it is. When you’re clearing the new ground on one of these rocky hillsides to plant corn, beans, and whatever you’re planting, you can’t survive on a salad; our diet is full of carbohydrates that give the body fuel to do hard work."______________________________________________________________________Read more about how Blacksheep Bakery builds skills and capacity in their local community hereCheck Out this article in The Bitter Southerner featuring Gwen Johnson and other visionary leaders from Central AppalachiaTake a look at our #ThisIsAppalachia feature on Appalachian Food