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ANTI HUNGER

Our mission is to end hunger in Tennessee by protecting and strengthening SNAP, WIC, and Child Nutrition Programs.​ We aim to educate and inform people about the federal nutrition programs through outreach materials, webinars, and our collaborative partner network. We also help with direct client services, where we identify program barriers so that we can ultimately advocate for solutions.

HELP FIGHT HUNGER IN TENNESSEE

Your donation helps us to end hunger in Tennessee by connecting thousands of children, seniors, and veterans to lifesaving food assistance programs. 

PUBLIC BENEFITS PROGRAMS THAT TJC FOCUSES ON 

NEED OUR HELP?

We help with some public benefits enrollment or appeals issues with programs like TennCare, CoverKids and SNAP.

 

Call us at 615-255-0331 or at 1-877-608-1009 toll free.

You can also

 

*Make sure you provide us with some way to contact you. After you contact us, someone from Tennessee Justice Center should reach out to you soon. They will ask more questions to see if we can help. 

We also have a directory of resources with information about who can get help with public programs, food assistance, and more.

PROGRAMS WE HELP WITH

SNAP

SNAP

Who is eligible?

Nearly 1 in 6 of our Tennessee neighbors is eligible for SNAP.

SNAP ADVOCATES

Collaborate with folks across Tennessee to discuss advocacy, casework best practices, and nutrition program updates focusing on SNAP. If you are interested in learning or sharing how SNAP impacts your work, please join our statewide network. Everyone is welcome to join!

WIC

WIC

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) helps pay for food, provides nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and referrals to health & social services for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, & postpartum people and children up to 5 years old.

WIC ADVOCATES

Are you are interested in learning or sharing how WIC impacts your work? Please join our statewide network to increase utilization of WIC in Tennessee! On these monthly calls, we will dive into the specifics of the WIC program, discuss barriers and best practices, and learn from community partners across the state. 

WIC Champions is held at 9am CT on the second Thursday of every month. Everyone, from experts in the field to novices, is welcome to join!

Our WIC Team at TJC would love to connect with you! Please Contact Anne Dobson Ball (aball@tnjustice.org) or Anna Grace Breedlove (abreedlove@tnjustice.org).

Summer EBT

SUMMER EBT

Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program for Children (Summer EBT) was established as a permanent program when P-EBT ended in 2023. Summer EBT provides grocery-buying benefits to low-income families with school-aged children when schools are closed for the summer.

SUMMER EBT ADVOCATES

Tennessee has opted into the program for 2024, which will support families struggling with hunger during the summer months. Tennessee has approximately 644,000 children who would be eligible to receive the Summer EBT benefit in summer 2024. However, the State of Tennessee has said that the program will not be adopted in 2025 and beyond. 

Join the Summer EBT Alert Group (formerly P-EBT) to learn more and stay tuned for action to bring Summer EBT to TN in 2025.

Help convince decision-makers to permanently adopt this program by sharing your story!

  • How have previous rounds of P-EBT helped you feed your family?

  • What benefits do you see from a program like Summer EBT?

  • How are you planning to use your Summer EBT benefits this summer?

  • How would not having Summer EBT negatively impact your family?

 

Please share your story. Let's make sure TN adopts Summer EBT permanently!

SchoolMeals

SCHOOL MEALS

You should have received an application for school meals from your child’s school. If not, please contact the school directly.

SCHOOL MEALS ADVOCATES

JOIN

Sign up for our list to serve and attend school meals workgroup meetings to get involved with Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids in Tennessee.

TAKE ACTION

Sign a letter, submit a letter-to-the-editor, or email your legislator to show your support for school meals for all.

DONATE

Donate to Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids to support our advocacy and lobbying efforts to ensure that every student in Tennessee has access to breakfast and lunch at school at no cost to their families.

SummerMeals

SUMMER MEALS

Meals and snacks are served at community sites across the state, including schools, community centers, parks, and libraries. You can find summer meal sites in your area by: 

  • Visiting kidsfoodfinder.org 

  • Calling 1-866-3-HUNGRY or 1-877-8-HAMBRE 

  • For more information and to find a site near you, visit www.nashville.gov/mac and click "Get Free Summer Meals for Youth"

advocacy

ANTI-HUNGER ADVOCACY

September is Hunger Action Month!

Did you know that 1 in 7 Tennesseans struggle with food insecurity?

Join us in raising awareness, advocating for stronger federal nutrition programs, and mobilizing resources to support our anti-hunger efforts.

You can make a difference:

  1. Learn more about how hunger impacts your community HERE

  2. Raise Awareness and Get Involved to end hunger in Tennessee.

  3. Advocate for Change: Urge legislators to protect and strengthen SNAP, School Meals and WIC. Your voice matters, so send a letter, email, or call your congressperson, or set up a meeting with them! Here are two issues to advocate for:

    • Send a letter to your legislators urging them to pass legislation to provide no-cost school meals for all children in Tennessee using THIS sample letter

    • Urge your legislators to extend the reimbursement of stolen SNAP benefits past September 30, 2024. Read more about this issue HERE.

    • Find your legislators HERE.

  4. Support Our Work! Donate to TJC: In the past year, TJC has helped clients access federal nutrition programs with 2,817 individual cases. In advance of the January 2024 deadline, we worked to urge the state to administer Summer EBT in 2024 which has reached over 600,000 eligible children. Every dollar you give helps us continue our advocacy and client support efforts. Your generosity enables us to fight hunger in our state and ensure that every Tennessean has access to nutritious food.

    • If you can’t contribute directly, consider organizing fundraising campaigns to help support TJC’s anti-hunger work. Donations directly fuel our ability to directly serve clients and advocate for better access to SNAP, WIC, and Child Nutrition programs.

OUR PARTNERS