LAFAYETTE, Tenn. (WTVF) — In Lafayette, this line moves with purpose.
"Where would you like us to put your food?" a volunteer said.
For people like Jean Hayes, who will turn 90 this year, it’s more than just a stop. Jean lives nearby in Red Boiling Springs, and like many seniors here, she’s feeling the strain of rising costs.
"It’s really good, especially the fresh vegetables and meat, cause for a lot of people, that's getting pretty expensive now," Jean said.
Once a month on the third Thursday, this church partners with Second Harvest to feed about 150 families in this rural community.
For seniors relying on SNAP benefits, even small cuts can mean tough choices.
"Well, I’m glad they have places like this that’ll help supplement the stamps and things," Jean said.
And for her son, Robert Hayes, it's about more than just himself. He drives miles each week bringing food back to neighbors who can’t make the trip themselves.
"I get it for my neighbors and I deliver it to them," Robert said. "Yeah, I bring it to them because they can’t get out… a lot of them."
"Yeah, it’s hard for people because there ain’t many jobs out here, you know," Robert said.
At Lafayette United Methodist Church, the help goes beyond food.
"But I especially like the church ladies, they put gifts in the boxes sometimes and it makes me feel special," Jean said.
As SNAP benefits face possible cuts for seniors in rural places like this, these boxes go from helpful to essential. The church says with the SNAP benefit cuts, Second Harvest has doled out even more food than before to help their community.
Are you or someone you know navigating the challenges of rising costs and SNAP benefit cuts in our rural communities? Watch the full video above to see how Lafayette United Methodist Church is stepping up, and share your story with me by emailing kim.rafferty@NewsChannel5.com.
In this article, we used artificial intelligence to help us convert a video news report originally written by Kim Rafferty. When using this tool, both Kim and the NewsChannel 5 editorial team verified all the facts in the article to make sure it is fair and accurate before we published it. We care about your trust in us and where you get your news, and using this tool allows us to convert our news coverage into different formats so we can quickly reach you where you like to consume information. It also lets our journalists spend more time looking into your story ideas, listening to you and digging into the stories that matter.
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