Out of Food By Friday: Ways to Help the Deepening Food Crisis
"We are the first line and only line of defense."
Food as a verb thanks
for sponsoring this series
Money.
That's what our Food Bank and food pantries need.
Canned food drives help, but not nearly as much as financial gifts and monetary donations.
Why? Both food banks and pantries operate within a system of logistics that allows bulk purchasing at super-low costs. As SNAP benefits hang in the balance, and more Americans cannot afford regular meals, there is an answer to our ongoing question: how can we help?
Money.
"For every one can of soup someone donates, we could have bought five cans from the Food Bank," said Damon Bartos, farm manager at The Bethlehem Center in Alton Park, which operates both an urban farm — that's Damon and his team — and a food pantry.
Both feed the community.
On Monday, the lines had never been longer.
"We went through ... a week's worth of produce in one day in the food pantry and saw a week's worth of clients in one day," said Damon.
At this rate, come next Monday, there may not be any food left to give.
"We will be completely empty entirely by Friday," he said. "Never seen anything like this."
Donate to the Beth's food pantry here.
At the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, CEO Melissa Blevins has been asked the same question, over and over.
How can we help?
"Give," she wrote in an open letter. "Every dollar makes a difference."
Recently, the Food Bank activated its emergency response plan, which also includes welcoming a surge of new volunteers and a more expansive Food Map, which allows residents to locate places where they can access food.
- You can donate to the Chattanooga Area Food Bank here.
- You can volunteer here.
- Its Food Map can be found here.
More than 120,000 regional families rely on SNAP benefits, the Food Bank said.
"Even if the government reopens this week, the ripple effects of the shutdown will strain families and the charitable food network through the holidays and beyond," Blevins wrote.
The US government is using reserve funds to pay SNAP benefits; it was reported the US Dept. of Agriculture had threatened to freeze SNAP benefits on Nov. 1 because of the ongoing government shutdown.
"We are the first line," said Blevins, "and the only line of defense."
Not long ago, she welcomed an NFL Hall-of-Famer to the Food Bank for a tour.
"He talked about being hungry as a kid," she said.
I was this kid, he told her. We were this family who went to food pantries.
"How do we really humanize this story?" she asked. "A grandma experiencing a cancer diagnosis who has retirement but not enough to feed herself and nourish herself? She gets $30 of SNAP benefits. That's not waste, fraud or abuse.
"That's humanity."
In 2024, the Food Bank provided nearly 17 million meals for residents across 20 regional counties.
"How do we use this as a lesson to build resilience in our community for the next time?" she asked.
Because there will be a next time.
"We’ll continue to meet this one with heart, resilience, and excellence," Blevins wrote. "Thank you for standing with us when it matters most."
Story ideas, questions, feedback? Interested in partnering with us? Email: david@foodasaverb.com
This story is 100% human generated; no AI chatbot was used in the creation of this content.
Money.
That's what our Food Bank and food pantries need.
Canned food drives help, but not nearly as much as financial gifts and monetary donations.
Why? Both food banks and pantries operate within a system of logistics that allows bulk purchasing at super-low costs. As SNAP benefits hang in the balance, and more Americans cannot afford regular meals, there is an answer to our ongoing question: how can we help?
Money.
"For every one can of soup someone donates, we could have bought five cans from the Food Bank," said Damon Bartos, farm manager at The Bethlehem Center in Alton Park, which operates both an urban farm — that's Damon and his team — and a food pantry.
Both feed the community.
On Monday, the lines had never been longer.
"We went through ... a week's worth of produce in one day in the food pantry and saw a week's worth of clients in one day," said Damon.
At this rate, come next Monday, there may not be any food left to give.
"We will be completely empty entirely by Friday," he said. "Never seen anything like this."
Donate to the Beth's food pantry here.
At the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, CEO Melissa Blevins has been asked the same question, over and over.
How can we help?
"Give," she wrote in an open letter. "Every dollar makes a difference."
Recently, the Food Bank activated its emergency response plan, which also includes welcoming a surge of new volunteers and a more expansive Food Map, which allows residents to locate places where they can access food.
- You can donate to the Chattanooga Area Food Bank here.
- You can volunteer here.
- Its Food Map can be found here.
More than 120,000 regional families rely on SNAP benefits, the Food Bank said.
"Even if the government reopens this week, the ripple effects of the shutdown will strain families and the charitable food network through the holidays and beyond," Blevins wrote.
The US government is using reserve funds to pay SNAP benefits; it was reported the US Dept. of Agriculture had threatened to freeze SNAP benefits on Nov. 1 because of the ongoing government shutdown.
"We are the first line," said Blevins, "and the only line of defense."
Not long ago, she welcomed an NFL Hall-of-Famer to the Food Bank for a tour.
"He talked about being hungry as a kid," she said.
I was this kid, he told her. We were this family who went to food pantries.
"How do we really humanize this story?" she asked. "A grandma experiencing a cancer diagnosis who has retirement but not enough to feed herself and nourish herself? She gets $30 of SNAP benefits. That's not waste, fraud or abuse.
"That's humanity."
In 2024, the Food Bank provided nearly 17 million meals for residents across 20 regional counties.
"How do we use this as a lesson to build resilience in our community for the next time?" she asked.
Because there will be a next time.
"We’ll continue to meet this one with heart, resilience, and excellence," Blevins wrote. "Thank you for standing with us when it matters most."
Story ideas, questions, feedback? Interested in partnering with us? Email: david@foodasaverb.com
This story is 100% human generated; no AI chatbot was used in the creation of this content.
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