The Nashville Food Project’s Blog
Together, their rhythm has been simple and steady. One experimenting. One anchoring. Both caring deeply about the meals that leave the kitchen.
At The Nashville Food Project, we are building the infrastructure that makes nourishment predictable and dignified. This is proactive work. It happens in kitchens designed to recover surplus and prepare consistent meals. It happens in gardens where neighbors grow food that reflects their cultures and preferences. It happens in partnerships that align farmers, clinics, agencies, and volunteers toward shared outcomes.
Through farming, she has been able to grow and share produce in ways that connect her more deeply to community. Food has opened doors. It has introduced her to people she might never have met otherwise. It has created opportunities to teach others about the importance of caring for the Earth with intention and respect.
Food, for Bianca, has always been a connector. A way to show care. A way to build community. A way to express love when words fall short. Her life has been shaped by faith, purpose, and a deep belief that what we make with our hands can change what happens in the world.
Nourish 2025 was a powerful celebration of food, community, and connection. From a beautifully collaborative meal prepared by top chefs to stories that highlighted the heart of our mission, the evening brought people together around a shared table and a shared purpose—to nourish Nashville.
At the Andrew Jackson Clubhouse of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee, kids are spending the summer learning, growing—and thanks to The Nashville Food Project’s made-from-scratch meals—staying nourished, too.
Through the Sweet Peas Summer Eats for Kids program, sponsored by Jackson®, hundreds of healthy meals are delivered each week to support youth during a time when access to regular food can drop off.
This partnership is part of The Nashville Food Project’s Community Meals program, which brings nutritious food directly to organizations already creating safe, supportive spaces for young people.
Now in its sixth year, the collaboration with Jackson is helping serve over 100,000 meals this summer—fueling not just plates, but potential across the city.
Two volunteers from The Nashville Food Project received honors at the 2025 Mary Catherine Strobel Volunteer Awards. Marcie Smeck Bryant won the Social Justice Impact Award, and Cheri Ferrari was a top finalist for the Charles Strobel Legacy Award. Presented by Hands On Nashville/United Way, the awards are Middle Tennessee's largest annual celebration of volunteerism.
Community Cupboard: a weekly grocery share
As part of our emergency response, we introduced a new initiative called Community Cupboard: a weekly grocery share. Through this program, we offer weekly grocery shares at no cost to those who have lost jobs and income as a result of COVID-19.
The Nashville Food Project believes that everyone deserves access to the food they want and need, but in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and recent tornadoes that devastated our community, so many are lacking that access right now. We have been hard at work shaping an effective community food response in this emergency time.
As part of that work, we introduced a new initiative in April called Community Cupboard: a weekly grocery share. Through this program, we offer weekly grocery shares at no cost to those who have lost jobs and income as a result of COVID-19.
With thanks to Fat Bottom Brewing, our on-the-ground partner in this endeavor, a good portion of those weekly shares will be distributed to out-of-work hospitality industry workers—a part of our community that has supported The Nashville Food Project in extraordinary ways over the years.
The grocery shares include a week’s worth of quality pantry staples, local vegetables, and fresh fruit, as well as local meats, dairy and eggs. With funding from sponsors and donors, we are able to focus on nourishing produce from local farms and producers, keeping dollars in our local economy. Just a few regional food businesses filling these bags include Noble Springs Dairy, Biscuit Love, KLD Farm, Bare Bones Butcher, Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese, Just Love, Frothy Monkey, Charpier’s Bakery, and produce from our friends at Rally House Farms, HydroHouse Farms, Sweeter Days Farm, and our own Community Farm at Mill Ridge.
Grocery shares include microwavable, scratch-made meals from The Nashville Food Project kitchens too!
Many thanks to partners at Fat Bottom Brewery, Nashville SC and the sponsors who have made this possible, including Renasant Bank, 506 Lofts, the Russell, Captain Morgan and Piedmont Natural Gas.