Chattanooga Area Food Bank urges Walker County to boost volunteers, donations amid SNAP disruption

The Chattanooga Area Food Bank told Walker County commissioners on Nov. 6 that it has activated an emergency response after a disruption to federal nutrition benefits and rising local need.

"This is a crisis," John Carr Whitmer, director of philanthropy for the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, said as he summarized a letter from CEO Melissa Blevins. Whitmer said the food bank has increased shifts, is assembling emergency food boxes and is expanding pantry and mobile distribution hours to meet the surge in demand.

Whitmer presented the food bank's regional statistics and a county snapshot: in fiscal 2025 the food bank routed 1,388,000 total pounds of food into Walker County, including a substantial share of fresh produce. He said the food bank distributed millions of pounds across its 20-county footprint and that retail-rescue and mobile pantries are major sources of supply.

The food bank attributed the immediate uptick in need to a combination of the federal assistance disruption, ongoing inflation and local employment declines in manufacturing. Quoting the letter from CEO Melissa Blevins, Whitmer said community partners "are seeing a surge in needs as families and seniors brace for the loss of food assistance programs and benefits." The letter urged donations, volunteering and advocacy: "How can I help?" Whitmer read.

Whitmer emphasized how donations translate into meals: ‘‘$2 provides five meals,’’ he said, citing Feeding America conversion metrics used by the food bank. He also said volunteers are critical — "one hour of volunteering is equivalent to 40 meals" — and asked county residents to sign up at the food bank website and to support the local "Share Your Christmas" fundraiser.

Board members asked about how much of recent SPLOST-driven tourism activity contributes to the county's revenue stream; Whitmer noted the food bank is focused on distribution and local needs but said the organization has seen more out‑of‑state visitors across the region. He also noted that 38% of the food the regional bank distributes flows into Northwest Georgia, while about 10% of donor revenue comes from that same region.

The food bank provided handouts with program details and a financial summary; Whitmer said more than 94% of every donated dollar goes directly to food distribution. He also described an expanded volunteer schedule and additional warehouse shifts to manage emergency assembly lines.

The board said it would post the food bank's informational materials on the county website and thanked the presenter. Whitmer closed by reiterating the immediate needs and the food bank's request that residents consider donations or volunteer time.