"I've worked in aerospace.  I have a college degree.  I am half-way through a masters degree. But I don't have a job and I don't have money for food.  I can't believe I'm the recipient of a food drive, but I'm so grateful for it.  I can eat tonight."  The woman, around 40 years of age, lives in Baxter, TN and preferred that her name be withheld.  She said she didn't want it to interfere with her job search. "What I really want," she said, "is a JOB." 

The Baxter woman wasn't alone yesterday at Sliver Point as the eighteen wheeler pulled up filled with 16,000 pounds of rescued food.

Lines of families young and old were ready and thankful recipients of the food.  And Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennesee points out that 47% of the people they feed are children.

"You don't think about people actually being hungry in this area." said a volunteer from First United Methodist Church, "But it's absolutely true.  People are having financial difficulties and some are truly going without food -- or without good food."

Junior Robert, a volunteer from Silver Point Baptist church said that this was the largest crowd he had seen while helping to organize this event.

 Families of all sizes and ages arrived with laundry baskets and bags or were offered cardboard boxes by volunteers as they waited at the Silver Point Community Center to receive a variety of perishable and nonperishable food items provided by the Second Harvest Food Bank. 

 Ann Allen was another of the grateful recipients of the hard work of many volunteers.  Ann and her husband Arel live in Dodson Branch and had heard about the food distribution program from her daughter Carol Wallace who drove Ann to the Silver Point Community Center. 

 Ann and her husband live on Social Security and are very grateful to the people who help individuals like themselves who are on fixed incomes and finding that even basics like food are difficult to afford. 

 The inclusion of 16,000 pounds of rescued food, including perishable items not typically included in a simple “food drive”, was based on "emergency" level needs found in the area.  

 The rescued food items ranged from milk and yogurt to fresh produce, orange juice, canned goods, fresh potatoes, pureed tomatoes and boxed meals. The decision to include perishables was due, organizers said, to what are considered "emergency" levels of hunger poverty in the area.

As Cassie and Matthew Moss from New home Baptist Church and Fran Fritz helped Ann carry her food out to her car, Ann repeatedly thanked them.

 The well organized  food distribution program was coordinated by the Second Harvest Food Bank, local churches and volunteers. 

 Over 90 volunteers and 10 local churches that all pitched in to help those in need, helping over 266 families receive food to help with their struggling situations. 

 The Mobile Pantry is a traveling food pantry that delivers food directly to local community organizations such as churches and community centers to hold a one-day large scale food distribution for people in need. 

 Second Harvest’s truck delivered the food to the community center where volunteers worked to set it up similar to a farmer’s market. 

 This food program could not have been accomplished without the help of the volunteers that gave countless hour and many months of preparation to help obtain the funding to purchase the food from Second Harvest’s program.

Rick Burnett from Crossroads Community Church stated that last fall all the contributing churches set up a fund at the Bank of Putnam County in the name of “West Putnam Food Ministry”.   Funds came from the churches' regular offerings, individuals and some of the families that were served have contributed to that fund.  Anyone interested in contributing to help keep this a successful program is encouraged to stop by any Bank of Putnam County and contribute to this fund.

Rick Burnett also wanted to give thanks and recognize all the churches that participated in this effort:  Mattie Smith Memorial Presbyterian, Buffalo Valley Presbyterian, Bethany Methodist, First United Methodist of Cookeville, Boma First church of God, Silver Point Baptist, New Home Baptist, Cedar Hill Baptist, Crossroads Community and Trinity Baptist of Cookeville. 

This was the first year that the First United Methodist Church of Cookeville had participated and their volunteers were a welcomed site when they arrived to lend a hand.

Rick Burnett’s goal is to have a food distribution day every three months for the Western end of Putnam County with each event being at a different location to help those that are in need and unable to arrange to travel to some locations.

They can be contacted at: http://www.secondharvestnashville.org/

CookevilleNews.com