2021-Annual-Report-FINAL-Single-Pages - Flipbook - Page 39
“Unlike a lot of the other communities that
surround Nashville, we have a lot of poor
people that live in our community. ‘Poor’
meaning they don’t have a lot of funding:
the living poor, the working poor. We have
people that have jobs but are not making
enough money to really support their
families in the means that they would like
to and therefore they come to the food
bank to get assistance.”
She says right when COVID-19 hit the
community, they saw a huge increase in
need. Even though it’s quieted down, she
worries that’s because a lot of seniors and
immunocompromised folks are fearful
to come in. United Ministries quickly
adapted to the pandemic and began
setting up tables outside, so that anyone
in need can simply drive up to the building
with as little contact as possible.
Sherry says one thing that sticks out
to her about Robertson County is the
generosity of its community members.
“When we have a need, we
just put out a request and
it seems like people sort of
flock to us to try to help.”
United Ministries typically hosts two
major food pantries through Second
Harvest each year—in the spring and the
fall—thanks to the support of sponsors.
The end of September arrived and no one
had offered to sponsor the pantry, which
meant hundreds of neighbors who were
hurting wouldn’t have access to food
they were relying on.
Sherry put an op-ed in the local paper: a
battle cry to her neighbors.
Several individuals stepped forward and
said they would do whatever it took to
make sure the pantry took place. Then
Springfield Utilities and the Tennessee
Valley Authority stepped up to help as
well. Sherry says with the corporate
support, they’ll be able to use the money
from the individuals to provide holiday
meals and put the corporate dollars
toward the pantry that hundreds were
relying on.
“All I’ve got to do is just ask people to step
up and usually they’ll step up,” she says.
“With the drive-through pantry in April, we
had over 350 families drive through so we
know that we’re making a connection with
people that need the food.”
And with the holidays, she knows the
need will continue to grow.
“I know that there’s a lot of families that
sit down for the holidays and just don’t
have the feast that a lot of us get to have
during the holidays. And so, for the last
five years now we’ve had at least 200
families that have been able to have
that Thanksgiving meal and also the
Christmas meal. We’ve been trying to put
together ways of helping them have a
more normal life, a more enjoyable life.”
Read more stories at
unitedwaygreaternashville.org/
united-we-win.
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