LOCAL NONPROFIT PROVIDES FREE LOCAL PRODUCE TO FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS IN KNOX COUNTY PROVIDED BY AMERIGROUP & KROGER

Nourish Knoxville and CAC Beardsley Farm pack produce for Nourish Community perishables bags for at risk community members – submitted photos

KNOXVILLE – Feb. 11, 2021 – Nourish Knoxville’s Nourish Community program provides free, locally-sourced produce, eggs, and perishable foods to families and individuals across Knox County including: clients of Bridge Refugee Services, Centro Hispano, and InterFaith Health Clinic as well as residents of Guy B. Love and Isabella Towers. Thanks to funding from Amerigroup and Kroger, Nourish Knoxville will continue Nourish Community donations through April 2021.

Nourish Community was launched in the spring of 2020 as a response to the pandemic in order to respond to two issues: farmers losing income due to the closure of restaurants and markets, and the increased food insecurity in our community. In 2020 Nourish Knoxville provided more than $115,000 in locally-sourced foods, plus locally-made PPE including masks and hand sanitizer, to more than 8,222 individuals and families with the assistance of CAC Beardsley Community Farm.

“Our relationships with local producers make us uniquely positioned to provide our community with much-needed healthy produce during the COVID-19 pandemic while also keeping our local farmers farming by helping them recoup some revenue lost with the closure of food service establishments and changes to farmers’ markets,” said Nourish Knoxville Executive Director, Charlotte Tolley.

Local eggs for Nourish Community Perishables bags for at-risk community members

Kimberly Pettigrew, Local Food Initiative Coordinator at Nourish Knoxville emphasizes that, “our perishables program relies on our community to feed our community, and what we’ve heard from Knox county residents is that they want healthy, local foods, which benefit their health, mentally and physically.”

“Amerigroup Tennessee continues to focus on community health ensuring our members and partners have access to resources that encourage a productive and healthy lifestyle,” said Robert Garnett, plan president, Amerigroup Tennessee. “We are proud to join together with Nourish Community to fight hunger and be a leader in food relief initiatives to make a positive difference in the lives we serve.”

Nourish Community will continue serving clients through April of 2021 thanks to funding from Amerigroup and Kroger, along with individual donors. Funding is still needed to keep the program going for the rest of the year, so please visit nourishknoxville.org/donate to contribute or email info@nourishknoxville.org for sponsorship information.

Funding for 2020 was provided by Bank of America, the City of Knoxville, the East TN Foundation’s Neighbor to Neighbor Fund and Mount Rest Fund, the Siddiqi Foundation, the Trinity Health Foundation, and the United Way of Greater Knoxville.

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