HARLAN, Ky. (AP) - A Kentucky city hit hard by coal company’s bankruptcy and the subsequent layoffs of hundreds of miners has been given a bit of salve in the form of Christmas cheer.
Members of Lexington’s Heritage Baptist Church hauled about 4,000 toys to Harlan Baptist Church on Saturday to host a gift giveaway for local children, news outlets report. Many of the children belonged to laid off coal miners, some of whom took to blocking shipments of coal through Harlan County this summer to demand back pay from Blackjewel LLC, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 1.
The Lexington church organized the giveaway with the nonprofit With Love From Harlan, which has collected and distributed more than $100,000 to the families affected by Blackjewel’s bankruptcy, The Lexington Herald-Leader reports. It’s been about six months since the bankruptcy hit the county, and many families say they’re struggling.
The protest led to the employees getting paid for their previously uncompensated work, but late fees and other debts incurred in the meantime mean some families are struggling with debts not covered by the late paychecks.
“It’s been six months, and these families are still struggling,” said Leslie Bledsoe, president of With Love From Harlan. “A lot of people think they’ve been given their back pay and been made whole, but not by far.”
Some families don’t even have the gas money to go out and look for jobs or come to such giveaways, Bledsoe said.
Additional layoffs were just announced last week by Kopper Glo Mining, the company that bought many of Blackjewel’s Kentucky mines and hired many of its former employees.
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