Red Bird Mission, located in southeastern Kentucky, will be presenting an Appalachian Crafts Fair 2- 8 p.m. March 8, at the United Methodist Church in Salado.
The craft fair markets the work of as many as 100 artisans living near the mission.
This is the first time the Appalachian Crafts Fair has been in Central Texas. All proceeds from the craft fair return to the mission and artisans. This is not a fund raiser for the hosting church.
Red Bird Mission serves some of the poorest areas in our nation.
The New York Times named one of the counties served by the mission as having the poorest quality of life in the nation. Besides extreme poverty, opportunity for employment and education are limited.
Located in the coal mining region of Appalachia, the entire area has suffered with the closing of the mines. Approximately 2,000 to 3,000 jobs have been lost in the immediate counties surrounding the mission in the last year or two.