Congratulations to Jessica Higgs – Our Helper of the Month for February!

Posted on: February 25, 2022

Americans Helping Americans® is honored to award Jessica Higgs as our Helper of the Month for February. Congratulations, Jessica!

Jessica, who works for a grocery delivery service, received an order from a woman who was ordering food for her older father who couldn’t shop for himself.

From the moment she received the order, she felt she needed to go the “extra mile,” even though the instructions on the order told her to leave the bags on the porch.

 “I get there and something was telling me: ‘No, you’ve got to help this man out," Jessica said.

 Jessica explained that when the man came out, she offered to help him bring the groceries inside. Upon entering, she noticed a propane tank and that the man looked ill.

 "I was in there maybe five feet and I got dizzy," Jessica said, adding that she let the woman know there might be a leak in the home that was making her father ill.

 The next day, Jessica learned from the woman that her son went to check on her father and found out the propane tank was leaking, saying, "You definitely saved my dad and my son’s life!”

Jessica said, "If you see something say something. I did, and I’m so happy I did, and I’m so happy that he can live a better life."

 Everyone is capable of helping their neighbors in ways they never would have imagined.

 Americans Helping Americans® is so inspired by Jessica's actions that we will be making a donation to a food bank to help elderly people get the food they need.

The Helper of the Month Award is designed to show the amazing, wonderful, hard-working, and dedicated people in American communities. We'll be sharing these stories with you in the hopes that you'll walk away as inspired as we are to do good things in your community!

Stay up to date with the latest news.

Two young boys smile while holding Americans Helping Americans food boxes.

Child Hunger in the U.S.: The Facts and How You Can Help

No child in America should have to worry about where their next meal will come from. Yet for millions of families, this uncertainty is a daily reality. Child hunger in […] Read More

Volunteers loading food boxes donated by Americans Helping Americans® into a car to support families in need.

Understanding Poverty in Kentucky: Causes and Solutions

Kentucky continues to face one of the highest poverty rates in the country, and the numbers tell a sobering story. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Kentucky poverty rate was 16.4% […] Read More

250 Years of Americans Helping Americans volunteer holding fresh fruit to support food security and hunger relief efforts in Appalachia

250 Years of Americans Helping Americans: Fighting Hunger in Appalachia One Food Box at a Time

Since 1776, Americans have relied on their relatives, neighbors, and friends, charitable organizations (such as Americans Helping Americans®), and their communities at large to help them through the challenges our […] Read More

Children and families receive warm blankets and winter supplies at a community support center.

Why is There So Much Poverty in Georgia?

Georgia is one of the most economically diverse states in the nation, with booming metropolitan areas alongside deeply struggling rural communities. So many people wonder, is Georgia a poor state? […] Read More

Appalachia Tennessee: Where It Is, What It Means, and Which Counties Count

Appalachia is a widely used name for a multi-state region in the eastern United States, shaped by shared geography, history, and economic conditions. For official federal regional planning and data […] Read More

Understanding Poverty in Tennessee

Families across Tennessee continue to face the difficult realities of poverty. Rising costs of housing, food, and healthcare, combined with job losses and long-standing systemic issues, leave thousands struggling to […] Read More

Help Us Equip Appalachia Volunteers With the Tools Needed to Repair Homes

Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying, “The best investment is in the tools of one’s own trade.” For Big Creek People in Action (BCPIA) in McDowell County, West Virginia, having […] Read More

Summer Camp Programs in Appalachia Support Children Beyond the School Year

This summer, thanks to the supporters of Americans Helping Americans®, we are once again able to support summer day camp programs in rural Kentucky and West Virginia, benefiting a projected […] Read More

Flood Recovery in McDowell County: Rebuilding Homes in Appalachia After Disaster

In February 2025, McDowell County, West Virginia, was hit once again with historic flooding following “the worst floods” of 1977, 2001, and again in 2002, reports The Appalachian Voice. “But […] Read More

Summer Hunger in Appalachia: How Food Programs Are Helping Children When School Is Out

Americans Helping Americans® is preparing now for the summer months, when thousands of children in Tennessee, Virginia, and Georgia will lose access to the school meals they rely on during […] Read More