NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Following federal court rulings, the Trump administration said it will restart SNAP food benefits — but only at half the normal amount.
What that means moving forward remains to be seen, but since it’s the start of the month, some people remain without benefits.
Anticipating the growing need, Riverside Nashville Church in North Nashville stepped up to lend a helping hand to hundreds of families.
Church volunteers said between questions surrounding SNAP benefits, rising grocery prices and layoffs at major companies, more people are turning to food pantries just to get by.
“We hear from people every week — money is scarce, food is even more scarce,” said Andrea Kinzer, Director of Outreach at Riverside Nashville. “And our neighborhood is technically considered a food desert. People are food insecure.”
Riverside Nashville teamed up with One Generation Away to give away boxes of food to anyone in need — no questions asked.
With it being the start of the month, volunteers expected a big turnout — and they got one. They actually had to start the giveaway early because of traffic concerns.
“We had people here since 9 a.m. — some even fell asleep in their cars after waiting for hours,” Kinzer said.
In all, 300 food boxes were handed out — but it still wasn’t enough to cover everyone in line.
Thankfully, the church has its own pantry and partners with Second Harvest Food Bank to help fill the gap.
With the future still uncertain, Riverside plans to keep hosting food giveaways to make sure no one in their community goes hungry.
Upcoming OneGenAway Food Box Pop-Ups
- Tuesday, Nov. 4: 5–7 p.m. – OneGenAway Warehouse, 320 Premier Ct., Dock 8, Franklin
- Wednesday, Nov. 5: 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. – Cedar Grove Church, 528 E. Main St., Murfreesboro
- Thursday, Nov. 6: 5–7 p.m. – OneGenAway Warehouse, 320 Premier Ct., Dock 8, Franklin
If you would like to support the church's pantry, you can reach out to them at (615) 227-1838
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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