NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — As more families across Middle Tennessee struggle to make ends meet, community nonprofits are seeing a surge in people turning to them for help. But for some organizations, that growing demand is colliding with a sharp drop in funding — putting critical services at risk.
One of those organizations is Empowering Neighborhood Partnerships, whose Free Store provides essential items at no cost to families in need.
Janice Key has volunteered at the Free Store since it first opened more than a decade ago and now helps by volunteering.
“I’ve been volunteering with the Free Store so long, I feel special in that way — so I’m the Free Store specialist,” Key said.
She said the store offers far more than shelves of supplies.
“This is our personal hygiene shelf,” Key said. “It’s kind of a little bare now, but we’re going to do better.”
The Free Store serves about 50 to 70 shoppers each week, reaching families across South Nashville and nearby high-need neighborhoods.
“We’re serving pretty much all of South Nashville and the high-need neighborhoods surrounding Edgehill as well,” said ENP CEO Allison Quintanilla Plattsmier.
Families can find food, diapers, hygiene products and even toys — all at no cost. But the store relies entirely on donations, and Plattsmier said the combination of increased need and declining contributions has put the program in jeopardy.
“We really need the money to keep open,” Plattsmier said. “It costs to rent and run the Free Store, and to buy some of the items we can’t get donated to supplement what we’re not receiving.”
Plattsmier said some funders have pulled back this year. “A lot of funders have been concerned with the executive orders, so they’ve pulled back funding or distribution,” she said. “Others have decided to give larger gifts to longer-standing partners.”
She said that the shift can be especially difficult for smaller, community-based nonprofits. “That’s hard for grassroots organizations,” Plattsmier said. “Larger organizations with millions of dollars are seen as more reliable, but that leaves the ones most connected to the community at a deficit because we’re small.”
Empowering Neighborhood Partnerships launched the Free Store in 2011. As the need grew, the nonprofit started serving families every week.
Now, even with a lean budget, Plattsmier said the Free Store could be forced to shut down by the end of the year if additional funding is not secured.
Volunteers like Key worry about what that could mean for families who depend on the store.
“We are really in dire need of financial help and donations,” Key said. “This nonprofit has really served a lot of people — families — and we want to keep it that way.”
At a minimum, the nonprofit needs to raise $25,000 to keep the Free Store open, though its overall fundraising goal is $60,000. You can donate here.
The free store is open to everyone, from families to seniors, and no proof of income is needed. It is located at 109 Lafayette Street near J.C. Napier.
This story was reported on air by journalist 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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