Through the Neighborhood Empowerment and Advocacy Training grant, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee is seeking to uplift the voices of our neighbors with lived experience in food insecurity.
We hope to do this by partnering with neighbors to share their stories and providing advocacy training so that they can learn more and speak up about food assistance issues that impact them and their communities.
Neighborhood Empowerment
We are seeking to empower neighbors by lifting up their lived experience stories pertaining to food insecurity. These stories will be shared across a variety of platforms to raise awareness for food assistance programs among the general public and encourage legislators to continue supporting these needed programs.
We hope to collect neighbor stories through social media and paper campaigns, direct outreach in our community, and community listening events to be held throughout the year.
Advocacy Training
Grassroots advocates with lived experience are invaluable to Feeding America’s advocacy work. Through NEAT listening events and community conversations, we hope to identify a core group of individuals who are interested in taking the next step in advocacy work, and provide them the tools to continue that work.
Through this grant, Feeding America has committed to paying for a handful of community advocates to visit Nashville and advocate for ongoing support for one or more food assistance programs, as identified by the advocates.
Feeding America will also facilitate opportunities for these neighbor advocates to receive advocacy training through a third-party organization. After completing these trainings, we hope that neighbors will feel empowered to continue advocating for their communities at the state level.
Intended Outcome
By May 2025, the NEAT team will have helped to establish groups of community organizers who will continue to advocate for food security in Northeast Tennessee. The long-term goal is to ignite a spark that will encourage others to continue sharing their stories and advocating for the needs of their communities.
Get Involved
Legislation is being decided on with or without your voice, but there is something we can all do. The first step is to learn more. For information on bills being discussed at the state and federal level, including sponsors, committee hearing schedules, and full bill drafting language, please visit the links below.
Stories From our Neighbors
Click on the names below to hear more from NEAT advocacy participants
Wendy's Story
Wendy has a passion for healthy foods and sustainable living, and thanks to food assistance programs like SNAP, she is able to pursue her dreams of making the world an eco-friendlier place, while providing for her son.
“My passion is really to help others,” she explains. “It’s very cliché and corny, but in my world, that’s what we’re meant to do.”
Her drive to make the world a greener place is in part inspired by her goal to create a brighter future for her six-year-old son.
Wendy and her son moved to Johnson City during the turbulent year of 2020, and they are still trying to get on their feet while learning how to adjust to a new community.
Since moving to the area, one of Wendy and her son’s favorite things to do together is to go out on “coffee dates” to local cafés. Their favorite spot so far is Dos Gatos in downtown Johnson City, where they sit down for some quality time over cinnamon rolls and warm drinks – usually a coffee for Wendy and a steamed oat milk for her son.
On top of being a single mom, Wendy is working to establish herself and grow her skills as a plant-based chef while also working toward going back to school for a degree in engineering at ETSU. She hopes to use her passion for sustainable living to build eco-friendly homes for others.
It’s fair to say that she has a lot on her plate at the moment, but thankfully there are places that she can turn to for help.
“I have been on food assistance programs because I’ve needed the extra help,” she shares. “I’m a single mom, and the programs have helped out a lot, but I’m also trying to get off of them and be self-sufficient.”
As a vegan, food choice is important to Wendy, and as a single mom on a low income, finding fresh whole foods that fit her lifestyle while on a budget can be challenging. Thankfully, SNAP empowers her to make choices about what foods she buys, so that she can purchase quality ingredients that will nourish her and her son.
“I do currently still have SNAP, because I need it. And it is really helpful,” she says. “Despite some frustrations, it is still beneficial for my son and me, because we are able to purchase fresh foods that fit our vegan lifestyle.”
As a vegan, Wendy does not include animal products in her diet. This includes things like meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products. She also chooses not to incorporate processed and canned foods into her diet, instead focusing on using fresh produce and whole foods in her home cooking.
As a mom, Wendy wants to make the best decisions that she can for her son, and this applies to her choices around food. For her, this means raising her son in the vegan lifestyle – something that he has embraced.
“He’s been vegan since birth, and he’s a prime example of how you can still grow up as a healthy child while being vegan and not eating meat.”
Having the ability to choose what she thinks is best for her and her son’s nutrition, means the world. Wendy says that she believes everyone should have the same opportunity to choose the food that is best for them, whether they are vegan like her or living with food allergies and intolerances.
“There are people that are born with food allergies or intolerances, and that’s not their fault. Those needs should be honored and accommodated,” she says. “My lifestyle is a choice, but even for people with allergies and intolerances where they can’t eat or drink ‘regular’ things, some people don’t honor that. They see it as a luxury, but it’s not. It’s sometimes just a choice and it shouldn’t be frowned upon.”
Wendy added that she hopes to see increased education around different nutrition needs and lifestyles, so that these unique needs can be accepted and accommodated by food banks and food assistance programs. For SNAP, having a guide to help people navigate their nutrition needs and figure out what they are able to purchase with their benefits would be helpful as well.
She also hopes to see food banks add a wider variety of vegan-friendly foods like coconut milk, lentils, soy beans and a wider variety of fresh fruits and vegetable to their regular distributions.
By sharing her story, she added that she hopes to be able to speak up for others who are not heard, and spark changes that will make the world better for everyone.
“It is important for me to try to eventually make things easier for others that want to have this lifestyle – a greener lifestyle.”
Becky's Story
Becky is a 75-year-old neighbor that lives in an age-restricted community in Rogersville, Tennessee. When she isn’t tending to flower beds, she is searching for ways she can volunteer in her community. Before she retired, she was an LPN and took care of mentally challenged adults, so her desire to volunteer in the community is as big as her heart.
Becky attends Second Harvest Food Bank’s monthly Mobile Food Pantry distribution that comes to her apartment complex and receives $26 a month in SNAP benefits. Becky had a difficult time getting her SNAP benefits, as communication was not properly reported to the DHS by the third-party company that was hired to do their callbacks, making it appear as though she did not go through the proper channels as requested by SNAP.
“I went in person to pick up the paper application. The application was actually pretty easy to do and understand, and after I filled it out, I mailed it back. I received a letter in the mail with my phone call date and time and received it as promised. It seemed strange to me that the person I was having the interview with was not actually anyone in Tennessee. The phone call was pleasant and we hung up. The next thing I knew, I received a letter in the mail that stated I missed my phone call and had to reapply. I was so upset I just ended up throwing it all away, but then at 11 o’clock at night, I got a text that said I was approved for food stamps. I was so confused by all of it. The constant communication of letters saying one thing and a text saying something else is dizzying.”
This wouldn’t be the first time Becky has had SNAP.
“I had it before I got in my car accident. I was getting about $20 a month at that time. Unfortunately, my car was totaled, and they gave me a settlement check for the car’s value so I could buy something else. When SNAP found out, they dropped my food stamps claiming I made too much money. That wasn’t even income. That was just money from the accident. This is the kind of thing I just don’t understand.”
Through the years, Becky has utilized multiple Second Harvest Food Bank food pantries in the area, often depending on the area in which she was living.
“I only used the resources when I needed them. The people are so nice and welcoming. It makes a difficult situation more manageable. I wish things were a little more consistent in how government agencies are communicating. They are always changing things. I get confused sometimes, and it makes it harder to keep up with all the things that are changing.”
Becky hopes that by sharing her story, it will shed some light on the communication gap that SNAP is having with their recipients.
“I really enjoy the ease of using my benefits. It helps me get my coffee, bread, and milk for the month. I just really wish their communication was better. I think people get these things in the mail, get discouraged, and give up, but my advice is to be diligent and patient. There is no reason for anyone to be hungry. There are resources out there and people in the community who care.”
Charlie's Story
Charlie is a 39-year-old disabled male and SNAP recipient. He moved to the area just under a month ago and signed up for SNAP at the same time. He is currently homeless and applying for disability. His health started declining about two years ago and has been unable to find a job ever since. Charlie states that without his SNAP benefits and using the food pantries in his area, he would not be able to survive. While he is considered homeless, he has friends he currently will stay with off and on to make sure he has somewhere to shower and sleep. Charlie’s situation has become more common in recent times.
“When I get my SNAP, they have a fridge outside in the carport area that is specifically for me. I am able to get things I want and store them in there. This helps so I can keep a variety of items. I try to get a lot of items that don’t need to be heated or cooled, but it’s nice to be able to store items in there and eat a hot meal or drink cold beverage. SNAP helps me stay more food secure and feel less reliant on the people around me as well. I try to be as self-sufficient as possible.”
Charlie was really struggling where he was, and getting SNAP seemed impossible.
“I tried applying, and they wanted documents from me, but when I mailed it back, they said they never got anything. Getting back and forth to the office and having to go to the library to keep printing off the items they were requesting was so time consuming. and eventually, I missed the deadline trying to get everything together. My anxiety was at an all time high before I moved here and was able to get on SNAP. I didn’t know where my next meal was coming from.”
Charlie was able to get approved for emergency SNAP benefits. He stated that really became the day that changed his life. He stated he can usually make his benefits last almost the whole month but does supplement it with items he receives at Higher Ground, one of our local pantries.
“I have really enjoyed my time in this area. Everyone is so helpful and so nice. I never have experienced this sort of kindness. I am working with someone that works with homeless people that are disabled. She has made sure I get food and is currently working on getting me somewhere to live. I am so thankful for Second Harvest Food Bank and the food pantries. Without them, a lot of people would go hungry.”
Charlie feels very strongly about SNAP and the benefits people get from these types of programs.
“Decision makers really need to come out here where we are to get a good idea of what is happening in the real world. It’s hard to see what people are going through from an ivory tower. Food cost keeps rising, and nothing is happening to change or supplement that. If I could tell them anything, it would be just that. Come spend a day with me. I want to work but can’t because it feels like no one wants to hire someone that is disabled. I am doing the best I can, but these programs are here to try and keep you above water and help you thrive. If they keep cutting these programs or try to change what is required to get them, you will have a whole mess on your hands. SNAP and pantries keep me fed. It sustains me every day so I can keep living. We need more people out here with us to see how it really is, then I think we will see some changes.”
Upcoming Listening Sessions
Kingsport Listening Session Event on Aug. 22 at 5:30pm Click here to register