The Chattanooga Area Food Bank, together with local nonprofits, ministries and other community leaders will host a meeting on Thursday, to discuss the issue of hunger in Marion County and to identify community-based solutions to meet the growing need for food assistance.
Hunger is a real issue in Marion County. According to data from the US Census and Feeding America, Marion County is home to 4,430 food insecure individuals and 1,660 food insecure children.
The Chattanooga Area Food Bank partners with 370 agencies across a 20 county service area. It distributes food to pantries, schools, and on-site feeding agencies that are working with individuals and families in need of food assistance. Over the years, it has established two strong agency partnerships in Marion County and are working in three elementary schools to alleviate childhood hunger in the county.
“At the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, we are committed to alleviating hunger in each of the 20 counties that we serve. We do this by procuring and distributing food to our local agency partners at a significantly reduced cost. This allows them to stretch their limited food budgets farther and to serve a greater number of clients. We rely on our local agency partners to help us identify the best solutions for their communities,” said Chattanooga Area Food Bank President Maeghan Jones.
Marion County Community Ministries and Castle Rock Baptist Church have partnered with the Chattanooga Area Food Bank to alleviate hunger in the county. Since that time, they have made a tremendous impact on the community. As the need for food assistance grows in Marion County, there is a great need to increase partnerships and expand efforts to fight hunger, officials said.
The meeting will take place on Thursday at the South Pittsburg Senior Center at 10 a.m. CT.
Anyone who is interested in learning more about hunger in the community and identifying local, community-based solutions is welcome to attend. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to lkilpatrick@chattfoodbank.org or call 423 622-1800 and ask for Laura Kilpatrick.