NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Putting food on the table is getting harder for many families.
At Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, they try to take some of the stress out of the equation.
But right now, Second Harvest is handling a challenge of its own. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has canceled deliveries to food banks nationwide. Truckloads of vital food will no longer be arriving at Second Harvest.
"We got a notification just last week. It's a 30% reduction in the food, so it's 700,000 pounds of food," said Nancy Kiel, President and CEO.
That amount of food equates to about $600,000.
According to Kiel, the types of food the USDA provides include fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and protein items. These foods are so important to your diet.
"When this type of food is not available to the people we serve, it changes their lives... How they live their life. Can they stay healthy when they're on medications? A lot of time, you get medication and it says to take it with food. [If] you don't have access to that, you have other health outcomes and things that are negative," Kiel said.
Second Harvest has 615 community partners in 46 Tennessee counties. To get an idea of the impact, partner agency Martha O'Bryan Center provided more than 184,000 total meals with the food last fiscal year.
The cut in aid to Second Harvest is expected to last beyond this quarter. If it carries on into the next fiscal year, they'll have to figure out how to get 100 truckloads worth of food from somewhere else.
"When you get cuts to the types of food we get its substantial, and it's not something we can just recreate overnight. It takes time, and it more than likely will result in us having to buy significantly more food, which is very expensive," Kiel said.
This evening, Second Harvest will host its Generous Helpings fundraiser at Marathon Music Works. From 6:00 - 8:30 p.m., you can sample some of the best food Nashville has to offer all while helping the food bank. Proceeds will benefit the grocery rescue program, which rescues frozen meat, produce, dairy, and non-perishable food items from more than 300 grocery stores. Tickets are $81.75 each. You can purchase those here.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at hannah.mcdonald@newschannel5.com.
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