Care Trees Take Root in Huntington’s West End
A new project is quietly taking root in Huntington’s West End, one designed to meet basic needs with dignity, compassion, and zero barriers.
Through a collaboration between St. Peter’s Episcopal Community Outreach (SPECO), the West End Faith Alliance, and the Cabell County Family Resource Network, “Care Trees” have been installed at the Henrietta Payne Boys & Girls Club and the West End Branch Public Library on 14th Street West. Each tree is stocked with basic hygiene and cleaning supplies available to anyone who needs them.
“The Care Tree project is rooted in a simple belief: everyone in our community, regardless of their income or circumstances, deserves access to basic necessities without stigma or red tape. No documentation. No questions asked. Just dignity,” said Elizabeth McColluch, Director of the Cabell County Family Resource Network.
For McColluch, the model is intentional. “As Director of the Cabell County Family Resource Network and as someone with a Master of Public Administration, I understand how administrative burdens often fall hardest on those already facing the greatest challenges,” she explained. “Too often, the very systems designed to help require people to navigate complex processes just to meet basic needs.” The Care Trees were created to remove those barriers; reducing stigma, eliminating unnecessary hoops, and ensuring that access to essentials is immediate, respectful, and community-driven. “At its core, this project is about dignity, equity, and meeting people where they are.”
The initiative also reflects the shared commitment of faith leaders across denominations in the West End. Ruth Peaden, Pastor at Central Church of the Nazarene and a leader of the West End Faith Alliance, described the installation as deeply meaningful. “The Care Tree installments left me with a heart of gratitude for the West Huntington Library and the West End Boys & Girls Club, who worked with us to plant seeds of hope,” she said. “These Care Trees provide basic hygiene and cleaning supplies that no one should have to go without. Our community needs to know that they are seen and cared for.”
For Peaden, the collaboration itself is part of the impact. “Collaborating as a faith alliance not only creates community among different denominations, but it also establishes a project that can be sustained long-term,” she said. “My hope is that this is one of many projects to come that will demonstrate the love of Christ for our neighbor.”
That spirit of practical compassion resonates across the partnership. Tracy Mills, Pastor at Madison Ave Christian Church and another leader of the West End Faith Alliance, sees the Care Trees as a visible expression of the church’s presence in the neighborhood. “The Care Trees are a simple but powerful reminder that the church is called to be present in practical, compassionate ways,” he shared. “Through our partnership with the West End Faith Alliance, we’re honored to plant these trees so that everyone in our neighborhood who needs basic hygiene items can access them with dignity.”
“It’s a small act of love that speaks to a much larger commitment,” Mills added, “...that the West End community matters, and no one here walks alone.”
By placing the Care Trees in trusted, high-traffic community spaces like the Boys & Girls Club and the West End Library, the partnership ensures that resources are accessible in places families already gather. What stands in those spaces is more than a supply station; it is a visible reminder that this community is working together to meet needs in real time.
And in a neighborhood where barriers can too often stand between people and the help they need, the Care Trees offer something different: open access, shared responsibility, and hope taking root.
This project is funded and supported by the Pallottine Foundation of Huntington.
