HUNGER SOLUTIONS
If you need assistance during this time, visit our directory of resources for information about eligibility for various public programs, food assistance, the increased Child Tax Credit and more. Click here. As the COVID-19 vaccine is distributed, find out how you can access a vaccine with our COVID-19 Vaccine Resource Hub.
NUTRITION ADVOCACY
Every Tennessean should have the food they need to lead a healthy, productive life. One in seven Tennessee households is unsure of where their next meal will come from. Tennessee’s nutrition safety net programs help millions of Tennesseans get the food they need. We can make these programs better. Too many low-income kids start the day without breakfast even while schools have the resources to provide it. Too many older adults are choosing between food and medicine when SNAP could be helping them put food on the table.
Tennessee Justice Center is working to ensure that nutrition programs are the best they can be and that every Tennessean can put food on the table.
RESOURCES
SNAP Guide for College Students
SNAP Guide for Families 2021 (Somali) (Arabic) (Spanish)
Medical Deduction Worksheet SNAP 2020
Legislator Briefing – Breakfast
WIC Enrollment (Somali) (Arabic) (Spanish)
Resources for Food Insecurity – STEPS Fact Sheet
Statewide Quick Facts- SNAP and WIC
If you need assistance due to the Covid-19 pandemic, please click here. You will find helpful information and links to apply for a variety of benefits designed to help Tennesseans during this national emergency.
SNAP
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the nation’s largest anti-hunger program. It provides low-income families with an EBT card that can be used, like a debit card, to buy food at grocery stores and farmers markets. We’re working to connect people who need this important program. Help us eliminate hunger in Tennessee by becoming a SNAP Access Partner.
CHILD NUTRITION
The child nutrition programs are vital to ensuring that Tennessee children have access to healthy meals during the school year through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), the School Breakfast Programs (SBP) and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Hunger often spikes among children during the summer months when children loose access to school meals. The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a program created to provide free meals to children during the summer months. The Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) program is the most recent child nutrition program created to support families with children who are struggling to put food on the table because of COVID-19 and lost access to school meals.
WIC
Congress extended the fresh fruit and vegetable benefits through the end of the year. If you are pregnant, or breastfeeding, you could receive as much as $43 or $47 respectively to buy more produce. WIC children are also eligible for $24 in increased benefits.
If you participate in WIC, or know a family that does, check your balance to make sure you’re receiving the higher benefit amount for your family before you go shopping. If you haven’t received your full benefit, call your local WIC department now. If they can’t help, call 1-800-DIAL-WIC for assistance.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) is a federal nutrition program that serves low-income pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, infants and children ages 5 and under. It is designed to provide nutritious foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding support and referrals to other health services. In Tennessee, WIC agencies distribute a monthly electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card to qualifying families that can be used to buy food from approved grocery stores and farmers markets. Learn how you can help increase WIC participation.
KEEPING THE NUTRITION SAFETY NET STRONG
A strong safety net means nourished Tennesseans. We’re engaging and educating policymakers on the importance of hunger solutions like SNAP and school meals and how they can be improved. In 2020 we protected SNAP for hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans, and have worked to ensure that over 300,000 children are able to access P-EBT during the pandemic.
