Purchase Area Development District tornado relief project receives 2026 Peggy Satterly Spirit of Kentucky Award

The Purchase Area Development District received the Peggy Satterly Spirit of Kentucky Award on Thursday, Aug. 20, during the 50th annual Governor's Local Issues Conference hosted by the Department for Local Government.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Purchase Area Development District (PADD) project that turned tornado relief donations into long-term improvements for food pantries across four western Kentucky counties received the 2026 Peggy Satterly Spirit of Kentucky Award on Thursday, Aug. 20, during the 50th annual Governor’s Local Issues Conference hosted by the Department for Local Government (DLG).

“Each year, the Department for Local Government honors a project that helps Kentuckians,” DLG Commissioner Matt Sawyers said. “The work of the Purchase ADD is making sure the basic needs of our people are being met. No Kentuckian should have to face hunger, and thanks to this project, we’re making sure more people have enough food to support themselves and their families.”

The Feeding America Tornado Relief Leverage Project began following the Dec. 10, 2021, tornado disaster, which caused widespread damage throughout the Purchase Area and destroyed PADD’s regional warehouse in Mayfield.

Following the disaster, PADD received private donations through Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization and a nationwide network of food banks. Because insurance proceeds covered the cost of rebuilding the warehouse, PADD established a regrant process that allowed the Feeding America funding to support food pantries and other organizations serving tornado-impacted communities.

The project combined $1.76 million in Feeding America funding with more than $3.23 million from other sources, bringing the total investment to nearly $5 million.

The funding supported food assistance organizations in Fulton, Graves, Hickman and Marshall counties. Projects ranged from coolers, freezers, forklifts and generators to major facility improvements involving construction, acquisition and renovation. The work strengthened local food storage and distribution capacity while helping organizations address facility limitations that had become more apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This award recognizes what can happen when communities work together to make the most of available resources,” PADD Executive Director Jeremy Buchanan said. “What began as an effort to help communities recover from a devastating tornado became an opportunity to strengthen food distribution infrastructure for years to come. We are proud of the work accomplished by PADD, our local governments and the organizations that serve families throughout the Purchase Area.”

PADD used portions of the Feeding America funding as matching funds for Community Development Block Grant and Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus Response funding. With cooperation from DLG, the district worked with local governments and community organizations to advance larger projects that included new and improved pantry facilities in each of the four counties.

Among the investments were construction for the Mission House in Hickman County, acquisition and construction for the Graves County Food Pantry and renovation work for Marshall County Caring. Other organizations received equipment and facility upgrades intended to improve day-to-day operations and provide greater capacity during periods of increased need.

The project grew from an immediate disaster response into a broader effort to address long-standing infrastructure needs. Many local food assistance organizations had been operating with limited space or equipment, making it more difficult to handle greater quantities of food and emergency supplies when demand increased.

Major projects associated with the effort have been completed, while the overall project remains active. The improvements now in place are intended to give food pantries and partner organizations across the Purchase Area stronger facilities and greater capacity to respond when communities face future emergencies.

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About the Purchase Area Development District

The Purchase Area Development District (PADD) serves Ballard, Calloway, Carlisle, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Marshall and McCracken counties in far western Kentucky. Established in 1969, PADD works with local governments and regional partners to address community needs through planning, economic and community development, human services and special projects. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for residents of the Purchase Area through planning, programs and partnerships.

About the Peggy Satterly Spirit of Kentucky Award

Peggy Satterly served Kentucky for 48 years, working for 11 governors’ administrations. During her career, she worked at the Department for Local Government, serving 20 years as Kentucky’s program manager for the Appalachian Regional Commission.