NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — 600,000 meals. That's how many meals the Nashville Rescue Mission expects to serve this year. As families face rising costs for basic needs like housing and food, the need in Middle Tennessee is only growing. Thankfully, there are partnerships that make feeding our neighbors in need a little easier.
Through the Shared Table Program, Melrose Music City Chick-fil-A has donated 61,000 meals to the Nashville Rescue Mission since 2019.
"The wonderful thing about the Nashville Rescue Mission is not only do they give meals away, but they also help people in recovery and to get employment opportunities," said Susan Riley, the owner of the restaurant. "So we've gotten to partner with them also at our store to hire some of their folks who are in the recovery program, which has been an amazing situation for everybody involved."
On any given morning, Chick-fil-A can make about upwards of 400-500 biscuits. Sometimes, there's surplus that does not get ordered. Food, ready to eat. Just not bought. When Susan Riley opened up shop in 2019, she knew the food shouldn't just get thrown away. Instead, she partnered with the Nashville Rescue Mission to give the restaurant's surplus to neighbors in need.
"We have fruit, we have salad, we have quality foods and proteins," she said.
It's frozen, and then picked up by the Nashville Rescue Mission about twice a week. On this delivery, Robbie Brooks thinks he has about 100 pounds of food, which is about 75 meals, to take back with him to the Mission.
"That's enough meals to make people feel seen, and heard, and give them a sense of love and hope. That's what I see," explained Brooks.
Once at the Nashville Rescue Mission, the food is prepared and dished out as a part of the 1,600 meals they serve everyday. Stephanie Sewell is the CEO of Nashville Rescue Mission. The rescue mission serves three meals a day.
"Hunger poverty is such a dramatic need in our city," she explained. "How are you going to function as a normal human being if your stomach is empty? Our goal is to give them a full stomach and offer more to their lives."
Sewell said the Nashville Rescue Mission provides 80% of the beds and food for the city. She estimates it costs an average of $5,000 dollars to feed that many meals a day.
"We have a really diligent team trying to keep up with the costs because if you understand inflation and everything, I mean, there's a 7-10% increase in Nashville because it is becoming an expensive city," said Sewell. "We are having to keep up with it, and it's donors like people at Chick-fil-A that keep championing us, that keep us going."
For those behind the scenes making sure the donations make it to those in need, they know a warm meal is just the beginning of the story.
"Just sitting down to a good meal and getting a full belly immediately makes you feel better. And that can start the domino effect where you start feeling better about yourself. You start looking to get help; you reach out to somebody."
Donations like these also help cut down on food waste. The EPA estimates 1/3 of the food produced in the U.S. is never eaten.
Do you have more information about this story, or do you have a story you want Megan to look into? You can email me at Megan.Scarano@NewsChannel5.com
September 11, 2001 is a day most associate with terror and tragedy. Austin Pollack shares a story from that day about hope and persistence: the effort to save a little girl’s life – with an organ donation. The problem? The young patient was in Houston, and her life-saving liver here in Nashville. With the grounding of all civilian aircraft, how could it be done? “Nobody ever said this isn’t possible.”
- Rhori Johnston
