Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee urges larger state investment as demand spikes after Hurricane Helene
Summary
Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee told the Senate Health and Welfare Committee it served a 20% spike in October after Hurricane Helene and urged the state to consider increasing funding beyond the current $1 million distributed among six statewide food banks.
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee heard testimony from Rhonda Chaffin, executive director of the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee, and staff about rising food insecurity in the region and a request for increased state support. Chaffin told the committee, “We assist up to 43,000 individuals just in Northeast Tennessee, through 400 distribution points monthly.”
Why this matters: Committee members and food-bank leaders said food costs have risen while donations have fallen, and disaster recovery from Hurricane Helene has increased short-term and projected long-term demand. Committee leaders…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
