NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Kids of essential workers in North Nashville will receive two weeks of hot breakfast meals at Mt. Carmel Missionary Baptist Church.
Jeneisha Harris, a Tennessee State University student, collected donations to serve the meals.
"We have just been blessed to continue the work of feeding children and taking them in during the summertime," said Jeneisha Harris.
Harris introduced the program last year. She resumed her volunteering at Mt. Carmel on July 21. The church is taking care of kids during the day during the pandemic.
"Each year we are evolving into something else to meet the needs of kids and families," said Bishop Marcus Campbell. "The camp started out 11 years ago trying to feed the kids from the Cheatham housing community that were hungry, then we went to enrichment and mentoring. Miss Jeneisha has a great passion for her community and her people. She's been a blessing for us."
The hot meals made by Harris at Mt. Carmel were inspired by the success of the Black Panthers' free breakfast program that began in 1969.
"This was one of their programs that was a survival program that they implemented it in the community. It started in Oakland and then it spread throughout the country and they fed thousands of people as a result of that program. This free breakfast program in Nashville is basically what I like to call a continuation of the work they did," Harris said.
Harris will make free hot breakfast meals for kids through July 31. She has been averaging about 75 meals a day.
"These 10 days are a short portion of the big picture here, and that's from 1969 to 2020 children still need access to a hot breakfast," she said.
For information or to donate contact mt.carmelmbcnashville@gmail.com.
