RAINELLE, W.Va. — More than two decades after Fred and Scarlett Kellerman began helping neighbors in need from the back of their car, the organization born from that simple act of compassion has grown into a lasting source of hope for Greenbrier County and beyond.
Now, the names of the couple who started it all will forever be connected to the place carrying that mission forward.
Wellspring of Greenbrier’s building in Rainelle was dedicated in honor of founders Fred and Scarlett Kellerman, recognizing a legacy that began in 2004 and has touched countless lives throughout the region.
What exists today as Wellspring began without a building, a large staff or an elaborate plan. It began with two people who saw neighbors struggling and decided they could not simply look the other way.
Fred and Scarlett founded Wellspring in 2004 after recognizing the needs of disadvantaged and unhoused people throughout Greenbrier County. Scarlett had previously worked with Covenant House in Charleston and envisioned creating a similar place locally — somewhere people could walk through the door and know they were welcome.
In the beginning, the Kellermans helped people from their car, distributing groceries and meeting needs wherever they found them. Lewisburg United Methodist Church later provided space for the young ministry, and Wellspring eventually established a center in Rupert.
But Wellspring was never simply about handing someone a bag of groceries or a piece of clothing.
At its heart, it was about dignity.
It was about creating a place where someone could take a shower, wash their clothes, have something to eat or drink, sit down for a conversation and, perhaps most importantly, be reminded that somebody cared.
Fred once described the mission simply: it was about instilling hope in people.
That philosophy became the foundation on which Wellspring grew.
Over nearly two decades of leadership, Fred and Scarlett worked alongside churches, volunteers, community organizations and donors to expand Wellspring’s reach. What began as assistance offered from the back of a vehicle developed into numerous programs serving people experiencing poverty, homelessness, addiction and other difficult circumstances.
Their work also became an example of what can happen when a community chooses collaboration over indifference.
When Fred and Scarlett retired from leading Wellspring in 2022, they entrusted that mission to Abby and Josiah Spangler. The transition marked the beginning of another chapter, but not the end of the Kellermans’ influence.
Under new leadership, Wellspring continued growing while holding onto the purpose its founders established — meeting practical needs while treating every person who enters its doors with compassion and dignity.
Today, Wellspring’s Day Haven is located at 223 Main Street in Rainelle and provides services including showers, laundry, hygiene supplies, food assistance, internet access and other resources. Programs and partnerships have continued to expand as Wellspring responds to the changing needs of communities throughout Southern West Virginia.
The dedication of the building to Fred and Scarlett Kellerman represents far more than putting two names on a structure.
It honors an idea that began more than 20 years ago.
It honors the miles driven to deliver food, the doors opened to strangers, the volunteers welcomed into the mission and the countless conversations with people who simply needed someone willing to listen.
It honors two people who saw poverty and hardship in their Appalachian neighbors and chose not to ask whether helping would be easy — but instead asked what they could do.
The Wellspring standing in Rainelle today may look very different from the ministry that once operated from the Kellermans’ car, but its heartbeat remains much the same.
Buildings change. Programs grow. Leadership passes from one generation to another.
But compassion leaves a legacy.
For Fred and Scarlett Kellerman, that legacy can be seen in every person who walks through Wellspring’s doors looking for help and leaves knowing they have not been forgotten.
And with the dedication of the building bearing their legacy, generations to come will have the opportunity to know the names of the two people who planted the seed in 2004 — and helped grow it into the Wellspring their community knows today.
