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Need of The Month Peanut Butter The Chattanooga Area Food Bank needs Peanut Butter to fill emergency food boxes for our neighbors in need

Page Updated
February, 2008

Our Programs

How we feed the hungry

Emergency Food Box Assistance

The Food Bank prepares fifty-pound boxes of non-perishable foods to distribute to families in need of emergency assistance. Area agencies issue vouchers to the individuals and families. Last year , more than 13,000 boxes were shared with over 30,000 individuals. Annual food drives, such as Share Your Christmas (sponsored by WRCB TV 3), Stamp Out Hunger (coordinated through the National Association of Letter Carriers, Branch 62), and other community drives throughout the year, collect the foods used to stock the boxes.

Second Helpings

This prepared food program received more than 92,000 pounds of food from area restaurants and cafeterias last year. Using a refrigerated truck, the Food Bank volunteers pick up prepared food at participating locations and deliver the meals to various community agencies, such as Orange Grove, Chattanooga Rescue Mission, Signal Centers, and the Union Gospel Mission. Participating restaurants include Red Lobster, Panera Bread, KFC, 212 Market, Chick-Fil-A, Hungry House, Long John Silver's and Olive Garden.  The cafeterias at Memorial Hospital, Erlanger Hospital, the Baylor School and GPS also donate weekly.

Kids Cafe

Over 400 hungry children at area after-school programs receive healthy meals weekly. Kids Cafe sites include Boys & Girls Club in East Lake, Northside Neighborhood House, Inner City Ministry, Carver Recreation Center, and the Dayton Housing Authority.

Agency Food Shopping

Member agency and church pantries from 20 counties in Tennessee and Georgia are able to purchase food at a rate of 18-cents per pound. The national grocery retail average is $1.50 per pound. This allows agencies to save money on their food budget and provide more food to their clients.  Click here to see a map of our service area.

Plant a Row for the Hungry

Local gardeners pledge one or more rows of their garden harvest to share with the Food Bank. This nation-wide program is sponsored by Garden Writers Association of America and HGTV (Home & Garden Television).

Community Gardening

Our community garden program is a natural extension of the Food Bank’s mission. This self-reliance program uses an intergenerational approach to assist area residents in growing fresh produce. The first garden site was started in 1986 at Gateway Towers on the Westside in Chattanooga and includes a greenhouse. A community garden site is planned for the grounds of the new facility to be built off Amnicola along the Tennessee Riverwalk.

Elementary school children who are at-risk for hunger are given a bag of kid-friendly food for the weekend. During the 2006-07 school year, the Food Bank distributed 1,100 Sack Packs to 20 schools, each week.  Donors for this program are Firehouse Subs, McDonald's, Coca-Cola, and East Tennessee Box Company.