![]() ![]() “We never want to turn anyone away for lack of food, and this will show our clients that we are going to be here for them in the weeks and months ahead, that we are there for them in this time of crisis.” Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, Nashville “This donation will help us make sure our warehouse is stocked up so that people who are coming through our doors, either for the first time or as a regular part of their life, get what they need,” Lindsay says. The money from the BlueCross Foundation has allowed RIFA to buy more inventory for its food bank so it can have items on hand to distribute to the growing population in need. In addition to the increased demand, RIFA faced challenges when social distancing guidelines forced the closing of its soup kitchen, which fed around 225 people a day and served more than 518,000 meals in 2019. Most are not our usual clients, but people who’ve been laid off and are not sure when they’ll be working again.” ![]() “In just two weeks we saw a huge increase in people coming to our facility for help. “With the onset of COVID-19, demand has been growing dramatically,” Lindsay explains. The Regional Inter-Faith Association, known as RIFA, works to address those needs through its food bank, community outreach programs and soup kitchen, among other efforts, says Lindsay Dawkins, marketing and events coordinator. The Jackson area has more than 12,000 residents who are hungry every day, even before COVID-19 hit. Regional Inter-Faith Association, Jackson The BlueCross Foundation has also given $75,000 to support COVID-19 testing and treatment, or other health-related services, for uninsured residents in the Memphis area. “Now we’re up to six per day, including Saturdays.” “We used to do two mobile pantries per day during the week,” Cathy says. Each truckload can serve between 250 and 500 households per site, and efforts are focused on neighborhoods that were already experiencing difficulties with food access. “A lot of the pantries we supply are closing, so we’re doing more mobile pantries in partnership with the YMCA and Shelby County schools,” Cathy adds.įor distribution, trucks drive food into a neighborhood, and volunteers take boxes to recipients who remain in their cars so there is no contact. Pay for leasing trucks, drivers and warehouse workers to manage expanded inventory.The $750,000 donation has allowed the Mid-South Food Bank to: Our volume has been growing dramatically ever since.” “On March 12, Tennessee declared a state of emergency - the same day Shelby County closed its schools. “We serve 300 local food pantries, soup kitchens and other agencies, and our job is to get food out to them,” Cathy says. ![]() ![]() In March, that nearly doubled, growing to 2.2 million.Īccording to president and CEO Cathy Pope, that rate of growth is unprecedented, and the funding from the BlueCross Foundation arrived at a critical time. Mid-South Food Bank, Memphisīefore COVID-19, the Mid-South Food Bank was distributing 1.4 million pounds of food per month to Memphis and surrounding areas. Here’s an inside look at some of the challenges our partner food banks are facing and how they’re putting our donations to work. “Tennesseans can get through these challenging times by coming together, and we’re expanding our support for food banks statewide as another way to bring peace of mind to our neighbors.” “Every day, families count on food banks for help - and that’s especially true now,” said JD Hickey, M.D., CEO of BlueCross and chairman of the BlueCross Foundation. To help support these organizations as they assist Tennesseans in need, the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Foundation recently donated $3.25 million to six food banks across the state, providing more than 7 million meals. The rise of COVID-19 has caused Tennessee’s food banks to be overwhelmed by first-time visitors, while also seeing increased need among populations they already serve. ![]()
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