Kara Hunkele

Halloween brings spooky costumes and haunted houses — but in homes across East Tennessee, something even more frightening is lurking: hunger. Here’s the good news- hunger is easy to scare off when generosity shows up at their door. Take a look at what people in the community are doing to help their neighbors scare away hunger.

On the final day of Hunger Action Month, we’re letting an incredible group of Hunger Action Heroes do the talking: a handful of our Partner Agencies and the neighbors they serve. Continue reading as we share words from our Partner Agencies about our work together, specifically through our Food Rescue program, and the hope it has created for our neighbors.

We’re highlighting a Partner Agency that’s both a grower and a distributor: CAC Beardsley Community Farm in Knox County. Their Buy Back program grants opportunities for refugee farmers to sell their produce and give culturally-preferred foods back to the community. The food is purchased through one of our grants, and is provided to our neighbors in need at no cost to them. “It helps me buy stuff [for] my kids,” said Francine, one of the farmers. “It gives me more encouragement to keep going, to not just give up.” Continue reading as we walk through the farm and gather enriching stories about the Buy Back program’s growing impact.

At West Park Baptist Church, the Knox Haven Bread of Life (BOL) Store mimics a grocery store in nearly every sense, apart from visitors paying for their items. The folks they serve even receive an itemized receipt, helping them plan financially for whenever they’re ready to graduate from the pantry. The newly remodeled pantry’s layout was inspired by The Store, a pantry and nonprofit in Nashville founded by Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley. Like The Store, Knox Haven’s BOL Store goes beyond traditional food assistance, offering other types of care that target root and accompanying challenges of food insecurity. We are proud to have had this pantry as a Hero Partner for the last 10 years! Continue reading as we share more about Knox Haven’s Bread of Life Store in an interview that occurred just days before their grand reopening.