It’s estimated that one in seven people in Nashville are food insecure and that number is getting further strained with the growing population.
Since 2009, The Nashville Food Project has been growing, cooking, and handing out meals to those in need in our community.
Because of the area’s growing population, the local organization is outgrowing its space.
“I think a lot of people see the growth that Nashville has experienced over the past few years and think that is growth for everyone and they think this means that problems like hunger are getting smaller,” said Teri Sloan, Development Director, The Nashville Food Project. “But in actuality, it’s getting bigger.”
That’s why the program is moving out of its current space at Woodmont Christian Church in Green Hills for a larger, new space being built in the Nations neighborhood.
“We’re working on residential stoves and our big giant pots – you can only fit one or two on a stove at a time,” said Sloan. “We’ll be able to fit all four on at a time.”
The new space will have the capacity to serve six times as many meals – 1,000 a day compared to 1,000 a week at the old facility.
The new, larger space will also accommodate more storage, more volunteers, and more opportunities to find support and community.
“That gathers people together so they can meet other people and build a community of support that they need and may have lost with all the changing of our neighborhoods,” said Sloan. “We feel like hunger is only one piece of this larger cycle of poverty and if we really want to take a stab at ending hunger, we have to do it in a more comprehensive way.”
The project is funded by a $5 million capital campaign.
Program volunteers will start moving in next week.
The first hot meal will be prepared in the new year on January 2nd and there will be a ceremony to celebrate the new building on January 27th.
To donate: https://www.alongertablenashville.org/