Rutherford County was awarded funding through the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Food Insecurity program to support two key nonprofit partners addressing food insecurity among low to moderate income residents and families: Nourish Food Bank and The Journey Home.
Two vans and kitchen equipment will provide critical food storage, preparation, and transportation to help these organizations maintain current operations and expand their capacity to serve individuals and families experiencing food insecurity, homelessness, or economic hardship.
Nourish Food Bank has served Rutherford County for more than 40 years and currently provides food assistance to over 4,000 individuals each month. Its programs include three food distribution sites, delivery services for homebound seniors and medically vulnerable individuals, weekly deliveries to low-income hotels and campgrounds, displaced families, and partnerships with local schools to provide weekend food bags to students experiencing homelessness. Consequently, much of Nourish’s refrigeration equipment and delivery vehicles were aging and nearing the end of their usable life. Grant funds allowed for the purchase of commercial freezers, coolers, a cargo van, and a high-top van to ensure safe food storage and improve the ability to pick up and deliver donated food.
The Journey Home is a Murfreesboro based nonprofit serving at-risk residents experiencing homelessness for 20 years. The organization provides meals, clothing, hygiene services, case management and housing assistance through its Community Resource Center and housing programs. The organization serves over 100 meals daily and expects to distribute approximately 10,000 pounds of food staples this year. To support this growth, the grant funded additional refrigerated storage, a heated food holding cabinet, and a booster heater for dishwashing equipment. These improvements will increase food safety, reduce food waste, and allow the organization to accept and store more donated food for its Community Cafe and Coldest Nights shelter programs.
Mayor Joe Carr thanked Nourish and The Journey Home for their work in the community.
“Our community depends on the unwavering commitment of nonprofit organizations like these to provide for the vulnerable individuals in Rutherford County,” Carr said. “We are thankful for their efforts.”
The investment will strengthen the county’s food assistance infrastructure, improve food safety and distribution efficiency, and help ensure vulnerable residents have reliable access to nutritious meals during ongoing economic challenges or future public health emergencies.
Pictured: Grants Coordinator DuAuna Hassler, Nourish Food Bank Warehouse Manager Michael Sasser-Kelly, Nourish Food Bank Truck Driver Noah Price, Mayor Joe Carr, Nourish Food Bank Interim Executive Director Kristina Brown, The Journey Home Director of Operations Billy Truesdell, Grants & Community Development Director Alissa Phillips
