The Newsletter of the Chattanooga Area Food Bank
Spring 2024
Nourish
Dear friends, Spring is a special time, especially in Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia. We’re coming out of the short, dark days of winter into the light of the warmer months. This time of transition is inspiring me to reflect on all the changes we’ve gone through over the past year, and all the changes to come in 2024. This spring, our Hunger-Relief Conference returns on May 2. The event is a time for our network of Hunger-Relief Partners to come together, share a couple meals, and learn from one another. Our Community Impact team organizes lectures about volunteer recruitment, grant writing, and tips on increasing pantries’ storage capacities. It’s truly one of my favorite days of the year. Every seminar and side conversation are about solving hunger, serving our communities better, and discussing opportunities to collaborate. It’s about community and sharing ideas—what could be better? We’re on track to provide the most food in our history in 2024, enough groceries for 17.5 million meals. The need in our communities is greater than ever before. As I look outside, I see the world blooming, expanding, and becoming brighter with each passing day. This is my hope for the food bank, too. This year, I want us to keep our minds open to innovative solutions that help us provide better food, and more of it, to our neighbors who need it most. I want us to encounter new perspectives and craft creative ways that not only help our neighbors thrive but also allow us to serve them as best as we can. They are at the heart of everything we do. Do Good Together,
Melissa Blevins President & CEO
in 2023, we proviDeD... 36,839 Emergency Food Boxes to Families 9,907 Gallons of Milk Food to Over 270 Hunger-Relief Partners 165,977 Meals to Children’s Nutrition Programs 2,156,012 Meals via Mobile Pantries 2,179,171 Meals via Our Foxwood Food Center
DiD you know? One 8-oz glass of whole milk provides as much calcium as 4.5 servings of broccoli, 5.8 servings of whole wheat bread, or 16 servings of spinach.
...in total, groceries for
15 MILLION MEALS. fooD-saving tip: Freeze your bread! Loaves, rolls, and even flat breads can be kept in the freezer for up to 6 months. Just wrap it tightly in plastic and date the outside. Thaw it in the fridge overnight or set it on the counter for a couple hours. Easy!
Fall + Winter 2023 HIGHLIGHTS Lunch & Learn - October Director of Advocacy Jeannine Carpenter held a Lunch & Learn event at Builtwell Bank in downtown Chattanooga. Members of the press, local business leaders, and politicians attended her lecture about the current cost of living in Hamilton County and its impact on food insecurity.
Stomp Out Hunger - November -
St. Therese’s New Food Pantry!
The Smiths Present Their Donation
Share Your Christmas at St. Therese - Dec.
St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church served as our Cleveland location during the 2023 Share Your Christmas. The parish’s Knights of Columbus single-handedly provided food and volunteers for the day-long event. We’re grateful to have St. Therese as a Hunger-Relief Partner, and thrilled to see their newly renovated food pantry.
In an act of creativity and thoughtfulness, mother-daughter duo Kim and Wanda Smith took it upon themselves to organize a benefit event for the food bank. Longtime line dancers, they hatched an idea to host dancing workshops at the Chattanooga Whiskey Event Hall one day in November, collecting food and financial donations during the event. In the end, they raised over $11,000 and received 360 pounds in donated food.
For many years we’ve held a close partnership with Publix at both the local and national levels. Employees and managers from nearby stores are often volunteering in our warehouses and Foxwood Food Center. Since 2008, the company’s foundation, Publix Super Market Charities, has donated over $1 million to support our work, and the company has donated enough groceries for at least
THANK YOU,
4.6 million meals. We’re grateful for this friendship and look forward to many more years of collaboration.
Black-Eyed Peas & Collards 1 cup dried black-eyed peas 1 tbsp butter 1 large onion, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic (or more to taste), finely chopped 3 strips bacon, diced 1 bay leaf 1 large bunch collard greens, stems sliced away and leaves cut into small strips 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste fresh black pepper, to taste
MAR
21
upcoming events Night of Gratitude Main Warehouse & Pavilion Chattanooga, TN
APR
24
Soak peas in at least 4 cups of water overnight.
MAY
In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, bacon, and bay leaf. Saute, covered, for 2 minutes. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until bacon is crisp and onions are translucent.
2 MAY
11
Drain peas, add to bacon mixture in pan. Add enough water to cover the peas, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered for at least 30 minutes and at most 2 hours. Check peas every half hour or so. They should squish easily with the back of a spoon. Add more water if needed.
Volunteer Appreciation Cookout Main Warehouse & Pavilion Chattanooga, TN Hunger-Relief Conference Brainerd Crossing (BX) Chattanooga, TN National Assoc. of Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Nationwide
Add collards, salt, pepper to beans. Cook covered for 10 to 15 minutes until collards are tender. Serve with good crusty bread.
@chattfoodbank chattfoodbank.org (423) 622-1800
to find food
If you need food, please visit us at Foxwood and ask. That’s all it takes.
Main Warehouse 2009 Curtain Pole Rd. Chattanooga, TN
Pierce Distribution Center 1111 S Hamilton St. Dalton. GA
Foxwood Food Center 3209 Wilcox Blvd. Chattanooga, TN
M-Th: 8AM-4PM F: 8AM-2PM
M, T, Th: 9AM-2PM Closed Wed, Fri
M-Th: 9AM-4PM F: 9AM-12PM
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