COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A year and a half ago, the Tennessee Tech family lost an irreplaceable member of the campus and Cookeville community.
Now the pantry Michelle Huddleston championed carries more than just food. It carries her legacy.
“Michelle was such a force,” said Elizabeth Sofia, Tennessee Tech’s Director of Development. “If anything needed to be done, or anyone needed help, she was always right there. You never even had to ask.”
Huttleston put the community first. She didn’t do so because she felt she had to, but more so because it’s what she wanted.
“She always wanted to know what she could do to help others,” said Ricky Shelton, Cookeville’s former mayor. “That’s who Michelle was.”
One of Huddleston’s biggest passion projects was the Tennessee Tech food pantry. She worked to make sure students would have access to a fully stocked pantry in the aftermath of the 2020 tornadoes and during the pandemic.
“The food pantry meant so much to her,” Shelton said. “So naming the food pantry after her is the perfect memorial if you will.”
Shortly after her passing in late 2023, the community raised money to officially name the pantry in her honor. That became a reality on Tuesday.
“It’s more about continuing the work that she would want to be doing if she was still here with us today,” Sofia said.
Even more so, it reflects what Huddleston once said she hoped to make during her time at Tennessee Tech.
“While I’m here in my career – I hope to build a culture of service,” Huddleston once said in a university video when asked what mark she wanted to leave on campus.
The food pantry is in Tech Village, and there’s a second location in the library.
Do you have a story you'd like to share with NewsChannel 5? You can email me at Austin.Pollack@newschannel5.com.
Music lessons for just 50 cents! A Nashville music school has been providing that to area students for over 40 years including for the city's current mayor. As a child, I always wanted to take piano lessons. I was able to for about 6 months but had to stop due to family finances. I would have loved to have had access to a program like this at the W. O. Smith Music School.
- Lelan Statom
