Tennessee receives $1 million federal grant to expand food programs

Tennesseans facing food insecurity will have improved access to nutritious foods thanks to a grant awarded to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA). The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service has awarded a $1 million grant to TDA to improve reach and resiliency of The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) in the state. TEFAP is a federal program that supplements the diets of low-income Americans by providing them with emergency food at no cost. With the benefit of this grant, the Chattanooga Area Food Bank and the Mid-South Food Bank will expand mobile pantries, Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee will purchase equipment and support renovations at local distribution sites, Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee will increase TEFAP distributions and establish new distribution sites in underserved areas, and Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee will conduct a needs assessment to better understand current reach and upgrade coolers and freezers at local distribution sites.