At The Nashville Food Project, we often find ourselves using the terms "hunger" and "food insecurity" side by side. They sound similar. They even seem interchangeable. But in truth, they point to very different challenges—and understanding the distinction is critical if we are to build a more just and sustainable food system for Nashville.
In simple terms, hunger is the physical sensation of not having enough to eat. It is immediate. It is urgent. It is visceral. On the other hand, food insecurity refers to a broader condition: the lack of consistent, reliable access to enough affordable, nutritious food. It is chronic. It is shaped by systems. And it is often invisible.
Hunger: A Symptom
When someone shows up at a food pantry or meal program, what they are experiencing is hunger. It is the tangible result of deeper structural forces, and it calls for an urgent response. In Nashville, we see this every day through our community meals program, which last year alone provided over 325,000 scratch-made meals to individuals and families experiencing hunger. We partner with more than 60 community organizations to make this possible, ensuring that food is delivered in dignified, culturally appropriate ways to those who need it most.
Many of our partners—from Second Harvest Food Bank to Catholic Charities’ Loaves and Fishes program—are on the frontlines of this hunger response. Their work is crucial. Without it, thousands of Nashvillians would go without their next meal.
But as essential as this work is, it is not enough to truly end hunger. Because hunger, while visible and immediate, is only the tip of the iceberg.
Food Insecurity: The System Beneath the Surface
Food insecurity looks deeper. It asks why that person was hungry in the first place.
It considers the mother who skips meals so her kids can eat, the senior choosing between medication and groceries, or the family living in a neighborhood without a nearby grocery store or affordable transit. It acknowledges how structural racism, disinvestment, gentrification, and economic inequality create ongoing barriers to food access.
Here in Nashville, food insecurity is often hidden. It is not always marked by empty stomachs, but by chronic tradeoffs, instability, and stress. It affects health outcomes, educational performance, and community well-being. And it disproportionately impacts Black and Latino households, single mothers, and the working poor.
That’s why The Nashville Food Project is committed to not just feeding people, but transforming the systems that produce food insecurity. Through urban agriculture, culinary job training, food recovery, and partnerships with healthcare providers, we are building long-term pathways toward food security and food sovereignty.
Why the Difference Matters
Why does this distinction matter?
Because how we define the problem shapes how we solve it.
If we think only in terms of hunger, our response will be emergency food—meals, food boxes, donations. These are important, but they are reactive.
If we frame the problem as food insecurity, we begin to think bigger. We look at land access, wages, housing, healthcare, education, and transportation. We move from charity to justice.
In other words, you can end someone's hunger for a day. But ending food insecurity means making sure they don't face that hunger tomorrow, next week, or next year.
Both/And: Bridging the Immediate and the Transformative
At TNFP, we believe in a both/and approach. We will continue to provide nourishing meals—because hunger cannot wait. And we will continue to grow our work in food systems change—because food insecurity will not be solved with meals alone.
That means partnering with local growers and advocating for urban agriculture policies that increase land access. It means teaching cooking and nutrition skills using recovered food that would otherwise go to waste. It means collaborating with healthcare providers on food-as-medicine models. And it means participating in citywide coalitions like FeedBack Nashville to reimagine the future of food in our city.
What You Can Do
Understanding the difference between hunger and food insecurity helps us all become more effective advocates and allies in this work.
Here are a few ways you can take action:
Support both immediate relief and long-term change. Donate to organizations meeting urgent needs, but also invest in those changing the system.
Ask deeper questions. When you hear about hunger, ask what’s causing it. What barriers are upstream?
Talk about the difference. Help others understand that ending hunger is not the same as achieving food security.
Join the movement. Volunteer in a community garden, attend a food policy forum, or support policies that center equity in food access.
A Just and Nourishing Future
Hunger and food insecurity are connected, but they are not the same. At The Nashville Food Project, we are committed to addressing both—with urgency, compassion, and a systems lens.
Because in our vision of a just food future, everyone in Nashville not only has a meal today—they have reliable, dignified access to the foods they want and need for the long haul.
That’s the difference. And that’s the work.