Keeping the Doors Open, Putting Food on the Table During the Pandemic

Omelia Isabell prepares food at United Ministries Food Bank of Robertson County in Springfield, Tennessee.

While food insecurity affects millions of Americans every year, the worldwide coronavirus pandemic has made hunger go from bad to worse.

Nearly 1 million Tennesseans — 237,100 of them children — were food insecure in 2019, according to Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization.

Meanwhile, the Tennessee Justice Center reports that during the pandemic, food insecurity increased 31% for families, with the percentage even higher for Hispanic and Black families.

“It wasn’t good in 2020, that’s for sure,” said Donna Davaloz, executive director of the Harvest Share Food Pantry in Columbia.

“People were coming in — people we’d never seen,” Davaloz continued. “People were calling me from different [Tennessee] counties, and even a few from Kentucky and Alabama, to see if we had food in our pantry. They were desperate.

“Some people said we should close, but I couldn’t do that. … People need food!”

There was no escaping the crisis: Food insecurity didn’t recognize the difference between urban and rural communities.

“Hunger doesn’t pick a color, a nationality — anything. It can happen to anyone,” said Sherry Martell, executive director at United Ministries of Robertson County.

“It doesn’t matter what your background is.”

“We have a lot of working poor people in rural areas,” Martell continued. “Industries don’t pay a living wage for a family of four to live on anymore.” You don’t have to search far for evidence.

According to Harvest Share’s Donna Davaloz, people were living out of their cars with no way to even cook the food made available to them.

“I told one lady that I’d give her and her brother some pop-tops [canned food] after I’d dropped them off at the shelter,” said Davaloz. “She burst into tears but tried to hide her face so I didn’t see.”

“I know when people do that, they really are hurting,” she continued. “And I understand the humiliation.”

That’s because, 34 years ago, she was an original client of the organization. Davaloz had three children, and she and her husband were mowing lawns to scrape by.

One of their clients informed her that Harvest Share, then known as Neighbors Concerned, needed to hire someone for two weeks.

Davaloz was interested in the temporary position and didn’t have child care, but the organization said she could bring her children with her.

It was settled, and for the next two weeks, Davaloz finally had a job. Then the woman for whom she was filling in, who was ill with cancer, needed another two weeks away. That turned into a couple of months.

Eventually, she replaced her and worked her way up to executive director, a post she has served for 20 years.

“We depend on grants, churches, individual donations — that’s the only way we work,” Davaloz said. “When we get money in, we always use it to purchase food.”

That’s the reality of operating a food bank in a rural community.

“When I became director six years ago, I went around to all of our community organizations to explain our reality,” said United Ministries of Robertson County’s Martell. “People don’t realize that we still have about $2,500 in monthly operating expenses and buy supplemental food to round out what is donated.”

CFMT grant funding, made available by its generous donors, went directly to United Ministries of Robertson County’s operating expenses and food.

“Because of The Community Foundation’s grant, we were able to maintain a good inventory in our pantry,” Martell said. “That translated to more food received by the families we serve.”

She also emphasized how instrumental the Robertson County community was through the pandemic, as well.

“I think it goes back to the old ways,” Martell said. “There are a lot of farmers here. Industry folks. Everyone stepped up — community members and businesses. “We never ran out of food.”

Such has been the history of The Foundation.

“The Community Foundation is known as a disaster partner and community leader,” said Amy Fair, CFMT’s vice president of donor services. “We knew food security was an issue, so we married our experience with the moment.”

Statewide, Tennessee’s community foundations banded together to help feed the hungry.

The East Tennessee Foundation (ETF), a community foundation serving the Eastern region, spearheaded the #COVIDfeedTN fundraiser, a partnership with major retailers statewide, as well as ETF’s sister community foundations the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, The Community Foundation of Greater Memphis and The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Tennesseans could purchase a #COVIDfeedTN T-shirt at a participating retailer or through the fundraisers’ websites and all the proceeds were donated based on the regional area where the purchase was made.

Because of these efforts and additional donations made to provide COVID-19 related support, a total of $104,802.50 was distributed to Middle Tennessee nonprofits in 2020 to address the increased food insecurity caused by the economic shutdowns during the pandemic.

Since 2006, the Fund for Food Security has distributed $240,702.50 to organizations that support Middle Tennesseans struggling with food insecurity.

“I always tell new volunteers, ‘Just be glad you’re on this side of the counter, instead of the other one.’” United Ministries of Robertson County’s Martell said. “You never know what life will throw your way.”

Wanda Fisher (above photo) dispatches food at United Ministries Food Bank of Robertson County.

Ginny Schwarz (left) and Paulette Cowan prepare meals.