Cooking brings us together to nourish one another. Recipes tell stories that connect us to places and people, and by sharing dishes, we share ourselves. Our kitchens use recovered, donated, and garden-grown food to prepare and cook made-from-scratch meals that nourish our community and create new stories around the table.
Food Recovery
In Nashville, about 40% of all food is wasted while 1 in 8 residents in our city lack sufficient access to nutritious food. Our food recovery program works to bridge this gap by redirecting would-be wasted food away from landfills and onto plates. We partner with grocers, farms, restaurants, and individuals to glean high-quality excess food, which becomes ingredients in nourishing meals shared with our community.
What We Accomplished Together
109
farms, grocers, and individuals contributed to food recovery
287,117
pounds of food recovered
80%
of each meal is made with donated or recovered ingredients
Community Meals
In our kitchens, we transform recovered and donated foods into nourishing and delicious meals, using a variety of fresh produce, dairy, and dry goods to develop unique menus each week. A growing network of cherished volunteers joins us daily to help prepare pastas, salads, casseroles, and more. We then work with poverty-disrupting partner organizations across the city to distribute these meals to community members.
Responding in a Time of Need
In December, a line of tornadoes wreaked havoc across Middle Tennessee, destroying homes, leaving thousands without power, and resulting in injuries and fatalities. A coalition of relief organizations, known as the Nashville Volunteer Organizations in Disaster (VOAD), immediately stepped up to help. Through our involvement with VOAD, we shared 2,020 meals with families affected by the storms.
