When Benefits Disappear, Families Go Hungry: Why It’s “Unconscionable”
Last Friday, The Store was on the front page of The Tennessean. The headline: “With benefits slashed, food banks gutted and families pushed out of the system, programs like The Store warn: ‘It’s unconscionable.’”
It’s a strong word.
But it’s the right one.
Hunger is at a 10-year high.
Food costs continue to rise.
And now, critical benefits are being cut—just as more families fall off the “benefits cliff,” that heartbreaking point where making a little more money means losing a lot of support.
Right now in Nashville, a single mom of two needs to earn $86,000 a year just to survive according to the ALICE report from United Way.
Not to thrive. Just to survive.
And food, rent, and childcare are driving that total.
When I spoke to Mackensy Lunsford for the story, I said:
If someone took away 30–40% of my family’s grocery budget, we’d be in trouble.
And we’re doing okay.
Now imagine what that means for the families who visit The Store.
The mom who works at a daycare—feeding our kids while she can’t afford food for her own.
The restaurant server who brings food to tables all night, then goes home to an empty one.
People doing everything we say they should do, but still coming up short.
We can’t take 30% of their food and expect them to still be okay.
That’s not values-based leadership.
That’s policy without proximity.
The Store doesn’t take political stances. That’s not our role or expertise. But we do take values-based ones.
And here’s one we’ll say clearly, every time:It is unconscionable to wrestle meals away from families - especially children - who already can't make ends meet.At The Store, we’ll keep showing up with love at the core—offering food, dignity, and a caring place to land.
We’ll keep partnering with organizations like Tennessee Justice Center, who are working at the policy level, and Second Harvest Food Bank, who are doing all they can to restock vanishing food bank shelves.
And we’ll keep holding space for our hungry neighbors most affected by all of this.
Because hunger is not just about food.It’s about how we care for one another.
What does this look like in your world?
Who’s falling through the cracks—and how can we catch them?
Let’s stay close to that question.
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.
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