Nourish 2026 Brings Community Together Around the Table
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOURISH 2026 RAISES MORE THAN $260,000 FOR THE NASHVILLE FOOD PROJECT
Annual fundraising dinner brought together Nashville chefs, sponsors, volunteers, and
more than 300 guests in support of food access across the city.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (July 20, 2026) - The Nashville Food Project raised more than $260,000 at Nourish 2026, presented by Kroger, on Thursday, July 16 at Marathon Music Works. The annual fundraising dinner brought together more than 300 guests in support of the organization’s mission to bring people together to grow, cook, and share nourishing food.
This year’s event marked a milestone moment for The Nashville Food Project as the organization celebrates 15 years of cultivating community and alleviating hunger across Nashville. Funds raised through Nourish will support the organization’s work across community gardens, food recovery, scratch-made meals, and partnerships with organizations throughout the city.
The evening featured a multi-course meal created by a collaborative lineup of Nashville chefs, including Chris and Emma Biard of S.S. Gai, Son Pham of Eleven11, Sam Jett of Audrey, Junior Vo of Noko Nashville and Kase x Noko, Michael Hanna of St. Vito Focacceria, and Jennifer Latham of Mama Bread. Each chef brought a distinct culinary perspective to the table, creating a meal shaped by different cultures, techniques, and traditions.
Throughout the evening, chefs worked side by side to prepare and plate each course, reflecting the spirit of collaboration that has long defined Nourish.
Guests also contributed $72,330 in donations during the evening, including gifts inspired by a $20,000 matching gift that helped extend the impact of every contribution. Because of the generosity of individual donors, sponsors, chefs, volunteers, and community partners, The Nashville Food Project will be able to grow, cook, and share tens of thousands more nourishing meals with neighbors across Nashville in the months ahead. As part of the organization’s 15th anniversary celebration, The Nashville Food Project premiered Past. Present. Future., a new short film honoring the people, relationships, and acts of hospitality that have shaped the organization from its earliest days. The film reflects on the past, present, and future of the organization’s work and invites the wider community to consider what is possible when Nashville continues to grow, cook, and share nourishing food together.
One of the evening’s most heartfelt moments was the presentation of the Thomas Williams Golden Skillet Award to Amy Lee Bryant. Established in 2017, the award honors a volunteer whose generosity, compassion, and dedication reflect the spirit of The Nashville Food Project. Although Bryant was unable to attend, her mother accepted the award on her behalf.
This year’s presentation held particular significance following the recent passing of Thomas Williams, the founder of Nourish and the namesake of the Golden Skillet Award. Though this was the first Nourish held without Williams, his legacy was present throughout the evening in the hospitality, generosity, and joy shared around the table.
Nourish 2026 was made possible through the support of generous sponsors, including Presenting Sponsor The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation, Beverage Sponsor Lipman Brothers, Grow Sponsors AllianceBernstein, Jackson National Life Insurance Company, and HCA Healthcare, Cook Sponsors First Horizon and Holland & Knight, and In-Kind Sponsors Black Hawk, EventWorks, and Just Glass.
Nourish is The Nashville Food Project’s signature fundraising event and supports the organization’s year-round work to bring people together through food. Whether through gardens, meals, food recovery, or community partnerships, The Nashville Food Project continues working toward a Nashville where more people have access to nourishing food and a deeper sense of connection and belonging.
About The Nashville Food Project
The Nashville Food Project was born from the belief that all people should have access to the food they want and need. In pursuit of that vision, we bring people together to grow, cook, and share food, cultivating community and working to alleviate hunger across our city.
In Nashville, one in seven people lacks consistent access to enough food to sustain a healthy lifestyle, while more than 40% of all food goes to waste. Hunger is not caused by a lack of food alone. It is shaped by systems. Poverty, unemployment, low wages, and rising housing costs all contribute to the challenges many of our neighbors face.
We believe food can be a powerful tool to foster health, belonging, and justice in our community. Through our kitchens, Community Agriculture Network, and partnerships across Nashville, we work to transform surplus into nourishment and connection.
In 2026, we will share more than 344,000 scratch-made meals and recover over 330,000 pounds of food, supporting after-school programs, immigrant communities, homeless outreach organizations, and many others across Nashville.
Grow — In ourgardens, we grow organic food intensively, and share resources with others interested in growing their own food.
Cook — In ourkitchens, we use recovered, donated and garden-grown food to prepare and cook made-from-scratch meals.
Share — In our community, we share nourishing meals in partnership with local poverty-disrupting nonprofits and community groups.
The Nashville Food Project embraces a vision of vibrant community food security in which everyone in Nashville has access to the food they want and need through a just and sustainable food system.
Media Contact
Esperanza Merritt
(615) 541-8225
communications@thenashvillefoodproject.org
