By V.S. Santoni
In Fall 2022, Vanderbilt Center for Child Health Policy found that nearly 40 percent of Nashville families faced food insecurity. Food insecurity is defined by the United States Department of Agriculture as “a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.” With the closing of small food pantries in Nashville, and with the Little Pantry that Could being a recent victim, food insecurity will only continue to rise.
Jada Hoerr, Chief Resource Officer of Midwest Food Bank talked with The Tennessee Tribune about their expansion into Middle Tennessee. According to Hoerr they are “a faith-based organization, it is the mission of Midwest Food Bank to share the love of Christ by alleviating hunger and malnutrition locally and throughout the world and providing disaster relief; all without discrimination. Our vision is to provide industry-leading food relief to those in need while feeding them spiritually.”
With their expansion into Middle Tennessee, they are partnering with shelters, food pantries, and distribution sites “that provide services for the food insecure. It is our honor at Midwest Food Bank to invest in these organizations by providing food free of charge to these valued organizations in the community,” says Hoerr. Further, they provide food to nonprofits without discrimination. “Midwest Food Bank is pleased to launch our remote distribution in Middle Tennessee. We are looking forward to strengthening the operations in Middle Tennessee each month as we recruit volunteers and community engagement,” says Hoerr.
The organization is also wise with the donations that they receive. According to Hoerr, Midwest Food Bank “turns every dollar donated into $30 of food distributed. Because of our volunteers and donor supporters, we are investing in every community we serve.”
If you would like to find out more about Midwest Food Bank, you can check them out at https://www.midwestfoodbank.org. You can also volunteer and donate at the website. If you or someone you love is experiencing food insecurity resources exist to help you such as Catholic Charities. You can check out their resources at https://cctenn.org/causes/hunger-relief/.
