What’s Cooking at The Store: October 2024

With hunger at a 10-year high and food costs climbing, families in Nashville are facing impossible choices as critical benefits are slashed. A front-page story in The Tennessean highlighted The Store’s perspective on what this means for our neighbors—like the mom who feeds children at a daycare but can’t afford food for her own, or the server who delivers meals all night and comes home to an empty table. At The Store, we believe it’s unconscionable to take food from families already struggling to survive. This blog unpacks the reality of the “benefits cliff,” the growing crisis of hunger, and why proximity and shared values must guide how we respond.

Every week, The Store wrestles with an impossible question: With so many waiting for food, how do you decide who gets to come? Our CEO shares how we make these tough choices—prioritizing referrals from trusted partner agencies, managing a waitlist of over 2,000 families, and expanding to new locations so no one has to wait for a basic human need. This post sheds light on the heartbreaking realities of hunger, the importance of working together, and our vision for a community where no family has to wonder if food will be there tomorrow.