LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Lexington church has been collecting donations that will be taken to the families of the Eastern Kentucky miners who have been left without pay.
Heritage Baptist Church members were at Meijer in Hamburg accepting school supplies that will be taken to the miners children.
Members said other donations are welcome as well.
Blackjewel Mining filed for bankruptcy back in early July, leaving their employees unexpectedly without pay.
The miners have been protesting on the train tracks near Cumberland, refusing to let the coal they mined leave the area until they are compensated for their work.
After the bankruptcy sale in early August, Knoxville company Kopper Glo announced that they will be taking over the mines and workers will receive back pay, though the process is still going through the court system.
Many of the coal miners families have been struggling to cope with the loss of income.
Heritage Baptist Church members said they worried about the miners' kids, and the costs that come with back-to-school shopping.
The church has planned to bring the supplies to Eastern Kentucky on Sunday.
