NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The government shutdown has hit home, and come Saturday, it could impact how thousands of Tennesseans put food on the table.

According to a notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, SNAP benefits won't be paid out for November because "the well has run dry." The Nashville Food Project has teamed up with other local nonprofits to brace for what could be a major surge in need.

"Food insecurity has been on the rise in Middle Tennessee since the pandemic," CEO of The Nashville Food Project, C.J. Sentell, said.

The Nashville Food Project supports a long list of local nonprofits including the YWCA, Metro Nashville Public Schools and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee by supplying them with fresh meal and groceries.

"Whether they need more shelf-stable food or more fresh produce or more meals, meals in different formats," Sentell explained. "Meals that can be passed along, for example, through an afterschool program."

Sentell told News 2 that about 1 in 7 Nashvillians do not have access to the food they want or need, but at the same time, more than 40% of food is going to waste in Nashville.

"We are thinking about how to recover more food, so about 80% of every meal is donated or recovered food, so we recover food from grocery stores and farms across the county," Sentell said.

State data shows more than 690,000 Tennesseans rely on SNAP for nutrition assistance. If those benefits stop, families that depend on them could be forced to make tough decisions.

"It’s families having to make decisions based on the hierarchy of needs, frankly," Sentell described.

The Nashville Food Project has started preparing for what could be a major surge in need if the shutdown continues.

"Organizations across the city are going to have to collaborate and corporate to make sure that our residents, our neighbors, our friends, our family members get access to food," Sentell emphasized. "Again — we believe in abundance. We believe there is enough food in our community, and we have to work together to get our fellow neighbors the food that they need."

Sentell's message to those facing food uncertainty is one of togetherness.

"You are not alone," Sentell said. "We exist in a community together, and we are not going to let our community members go hungry."

Sentell encouraged people to get involved whether through donating or signing up to volunteer.

The Nashville Food Project's meal partners include:

• The Ark Community Resource Center
• Begin Anew of Middle Tennessee
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee
• Colby's Army
• Community Care Fellowship
• Crossroads Pets
• Dignidad Obrera Workers Dignity
• Dismas House
• Edgehill Neighborhood Partnership
• Fifty Forward
• Green Street Sanctuary
• Harvest Hands
• JCALA Homeless Comfort Service
• Judge Dinkins Educational Center
• Martha O'Bryan Center
• Metro Nashville Public Schools
• Metro Nashville Public Schools - Office of English Learners
• Napier Kitchen Table Fellowship
• Nashville Launch Pad
• National Church Residences
• Nations Ministry - Center for Refugees
• Open Table Nashville
• Operation Stand Down Tennessee
• Our Place Nashville
• Project Access Resource Centers
• Project Return
• Safe Haven Family Shelter
• Samaritan Recovery Community
• South Inglewood Community Center
• St. Luke's Community House
• Strings for Hope
• Trinity Community Commons
• Uprise Nashville
• Urban Housing Solutions
• Water Walkers
• The YMCA
• YWCA

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/nonprofits-step-up-snap-payments-hang/