July 3rd - 11th, 2027
FOA 16th Trip!
 Planning has started -
Please email [email protected]
 if you would like to be on the list for notifications about the 2027 trip!
Interested in serving as an adult leader?
Our FOA trips can’t happen without a team of interested adults! And we promise — this is a powerful experience of service for adults as well as youth. We count on interested parents, community members, teachers,
older siblings/Aunts/Uncles! (minimum age for advisers is 19).
Adults are welcome and encouraged!
Think you might be interested? First, please read carefully through our Advisor Manual - by clicking the link below - If it all sounds good,
please email us! 

advisor manual

Floater Kyle's FOA 2026
Trip Volunteer Reflection ​ & Thank You
To my FoA family, Welcome home.
The trailers are unpacked. The tools are put away. Everyone is back to work, back to summer vacation, and back to everyday life.
This trip wasn’t just about building wheelchair ramps, repairing bathrooms, replacing siding, or making homes warmer, safer, and drier. Those are the things we can see. The things we can’t see are what matter most.
A homeowner who felt forgotten now knows someone cares. A family who had lost hope found a reason to smile again.
A volunteer discovered they are capable of far more than they ever imagined.
That’s why we do this.
This was our 15th Friends of Appalachia trip, and standing back this week, I realized something that has nothing to do with the number.
I watched people who barely knew each other become family.
I watched experienced volunteers invest in the next generation, teaching them the skills, confidence, and heart that have always been the foundation of FoA.
I watched teenagers put down their phones and pick up drills.
You build it by choosing people over comfort, every one of you made that choice.
To every donor and supporter: thank you for believing in something bigger than yourselves. None of this happens without you.
Friends of Appalachia has never been about the number of homes we’ve repaired.
It’s about the people we’ve met. The friendships we’ve made. The lives that have changed—including our own.
If this was your very first trip, I hope you know something…
You didn’t just volunteer with us.
You became family.
And once you’re part of this family, you’ll always have a place here.
So wear that FoA shirt proudly. Not because it tells people where you went, but because it reminds you of who you became while you were there.
Never forget the laughter around the tables.
Never forget the tears when it was time to say goodbye.
And never forget why we do this.
Because home is more than four walls.
Hope is more than a feeling.
And love is something you build with your own two hands.
Where ever we go. We are Friends of Appalachia.
15 trips. Countless lives changed. One family.
Can’t wait to see what mountain we move next!

foa 2026 trip donations ! 

check with the volunteer you want to donate to
for their own qr code. 
​
foa 2026 TRIP fund donations
USE the qr code below

DONATION BY CHECK
 - ​MAIL TO;
FOA - POBOX 110206 - TRUMBULL CT 06611
​please put the volunteers name you are
​supporting in the memo section
SO WE CAN CREDIT THEM WITH YOUR DONATION!
 

​
​Thank you to our local supporters and donors! 
​
Silver Sands Pizza
for our Post-Trip Picnic
https://silversandspizza.com/

Marianna's Pantry
for our Trip Sandwiches
https://mariannaspantryct.com/

Wave Hill Breads 
for our Trip Sandwiches
https://www.wavehillbreads.com/

Lowe's of Milford
for Trip Supplies
https://www.lowes.com/store/2658-milford-ct/hardware-store

Taste of Spring 2026
We had a wonderful night at our Taste of Spring Fundrasier -

Gold Sponsors:
Tom & Vicki Tesoro, Trumbull

Silver Sponsors:
Rotary Drug, Stratford
Vaughn Family Dentistry, Trumbull

Bronze Sponsors:
Abriola Funeral Homes, Trumbull
Dr. Henry Rapp, Advanced Dentistry of Fairfield County, Fairfield

Breweries:
Berlinita, Bridgeport
Charter Oak Brewing, Danbury
East Rock Brewery, New Haven
Haven Beer Company, Hamden
Little House Brewing, Chester
Nod Hill Brewery, Ridgefield
Tree House Brewing, MA

Wineries, Distilleries and More! 
Aquila's Nest, Newtown
Hawk Ridge Winery, Watertown
Litchfield Distillery, Litchfield
New England Cider Company, Wallingford
Sunset Meadow Vineyard, Goshen

Coffee Shops, Bakeries and More!
Black Rock Coffee House, Fairfield
J Bagels, Trumbull
Last Drop Coffee Shop, Monroe
Marianna’s Pantry, Stratford (new location!) 
River Street Cones and Cups, Milford
Scratch Baking, Milford
Wave Hill Breads Bakery, Norwalk

Spa and Wellness:
Athleto, Fairfield
Clarity Wellness Spa, Milford
KAR Pilates, Trumbull
Massage Envy, Fairfield
Ran Nail and Spa, Trumbull
Refine Fitness, Trumbull

Others:
Hartford Yard Goats (Baseball)
Little Emporium Shop, Newtown (antiques and gifts)
Terry Baksay Fishing Enterprises

Restaurants:
Bill’s Drive In, Monroe
Bin 100, Milford
Chili’s, Shelton
Fryborg, Trumbull
Italian Corner Deli, Trumbull
Luigi’s Restaurant, Fairfield
Osteria Romana, Monroe
Parker. Eatery & Bar, Shelton
Romanacci, Trumbull
Sitting Duck, Trumbull
Super Duper Weenie, Fairfield
Trumbull Pizza Company, Trumbull
​
To learn more about the event, look at our FUNDRAISERS tab. 

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          Friends of Appalachia, Inc. proudly supports:          
​ Appalachia Service Project, Inc.                 www.asphome.org 
​
FOA volunteers travel from Connecticut to Central Appalachia and work directly with families for a week in the rain and hot summer sun to make homes warmer, safer, and drier. FOA has traditionally been able to go above and beyond by providing additional money directly to the projects we work on. ​

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