MANCHESTER, Tenn. (WTVF) — Community Table, a nonprofit ministry and food pantry in Manchester, is seeing a surge of new clients as organizers brace for an expected cut to SNAP benefits next month.
At 73, Steve Courtney said he never imagined he would need a pantry. Low wages, rising rent and mounting medical bills left him without food until he found Community Table, which allows visitors to choose groceries, hygiene items and other essentials.
“Low wages and high rents, utility bills, medical bills — there's just not enough, and before I knew it, hey, I'm in trouble,” Courtney said. He now volunteers at the pantry. “They always make me feel welcomed. It makes me feel a little bit better about myself if I help them while they’re helping me.”
Founder Shanon Stowe said the pantry has heard from many new people in recent days and is preparing for even greater demand. Coffee County, she noted, faces high poverty — about one in four residents live below the poverty line.
“What we hear consistently is that dollars are not stretching nearly as far as they used to,” Stowe said. She said 30 families on SNAP showed up this week worried about the benefits cut. “If they have a minimum of three people in each family, that's going to be 100 new individuals that we serve on a weekly basis that come in on SNAP that are worried that the Nov. 1 date is fast approaching, so they're very concerned.”
Being in a rural area complicates the challenge. Many clients live far from town and lack reliable transportation, and small-town pantries do not have access to the same funding or resources as larger urban programs, Stowe said. “We're really struggling to have enough meat right now. With the crisis, meat is at a premium to be able to access.”
Organizers continue to ask the community for donations to help meet rising need. Community Table is a partner of Second Harvest and is open to those in need on Tuesdays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. to the public. They offer clothing, food, hygiene and diapers.
Monetary donations can be sent to: P.O. Box 1471 Manchester TN 37349
For more information call: (931) 450-4870. Donations can be dropped off on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's located at 1924 McArthur Street, Manchester, TN 37355
This story was reported by reporter Aaron Cantrell and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Aaron and our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy
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