MOUNT PLEASANT, Tenn. (WTVF) — A local food bank reports that demand has doubled in a year, so they’re building out a second location.
Construction is underway on North Main Street in Mt. Pleasant for a food bank that will look more like a grocery store.
"That will allow the clients to go through and pick out the food that they want," said Jack Maher, the President of John Maher Builders.
They're constructing it at no cost to The Well Outreach nonprofit.
"The more growth they’re having, the more need there is, and so that just increases our responsibility to help in our community," Maher said.
The food bank will also have a chapel and coffee bar.
"Hopefully this location will be a place where families can be seen, loved, and acknowledged," Well Outreach CEO Shelly Sassen said.
Sassen said last year they served around 600 families, and in 2023 that number has doubled.
"There’s been a recent trend in the last year and a half since COVID where a lot of senior citizens are struggling at a different level than before. They’re living on fixed incomes, and they’re having to make a decision between paying their rent and buying food," Sassen said.
They already have a food pantry in Spring Hill, so this will be their second location.
"There’s a lot of grandparents that are raising their grandchildren in this area, the are a lot of families without cars," Sassen said.
In addition to transportation challenges, the rising cost of rent and groceries has been tough.
"I think there’s so much around the holidays that we think about gifts and taking care of others, but really food is the most basic essential — and especially where we live in Middle Tennessee and in America — food should never be a privilege. It should be a basic necessity," Sassen said.
If you would like to help donate to the cause, go here.
On Saturday, the Well Outreach will have a drive-thru food pantry at Mount Pleasant Middle School at 9 a.m. They plan to serve 300 families through their mobile pantry.
Their goal is to have the Mount Pleasant food bank open on Valentine's Day.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
