In Greene County, Tennessee, the United Way is stepping up to support its community amid the ongoing government shutdown. Four local organizations have partnered with the United Way to ensure that residents relying on SNAP benefits are not left without food assistance during this challenging time.

The organizations involved in this collaboration include Community Ministries, the Family Resource Center of Greene County Schools, My Neighbor’s House, and North Greene County Churches United in Love Ministry. Together, they are working to bolster food supplies and ensure wider access to essential resources.

As part of these efforts, milk deliveries have been increased from 10 to 15 cases per week to meet the rising demand. Additionally, they are expanding food distribution services, offering food box pickups, and organizing evening and weekend distribution events to accommodate families in need.

This initiative specifically targets SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) users, who are temporarily without benefits due to the government shutdown. The goal is to provide a reliable safety net during these uncertain times.

The Greene County Community Ministries Food Bank, a key player in this effort, is currently experiencing a surge in demand. “We’re seeing people every day now that we’ve never seen before,” noted Carmen Ricker, the director of the food bank, in an interview with News Channel 11. She emphasized that the food bank is prepared to assist anyone in need during this period.

“We’re seeing people every day now that we’ve never seen before,” Ricker told News Channel 11. “We have assistance here for anything that the people need.”

SNAP benefits were shut off during the weekend on Nov. 1, with United Way deciding to take action to help, according to executive director Wendy Peay.

“We wanted to make sure that we responded to that by making sure that those food banks and food pantries were whole,” Peay told News Channel 11. “We don’t want them to run out of everything they have in the first week of the month, so we wanted to make additional funding available to those organizations.”  

United Way is hosting a fall fundraiser for 26 different programs at 22 organizations, while continuing to raise funds for food banks.

The fundraiser will go on until the end of the year, so people can continue to donate.

The Greene County Community Ministries Food Bank is open five days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

SNAP users are encouraged to be in line by 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

To make a donation to United Way or to volunteer, click here.