Tennessee Goes Orange to Support Hunger Awareness

State buildings lit in orange while employees hold a walk to recognize Hunger Action Month

NASHVILLE – Employees with the Tennessee Department of Human Services and other state agencies raised awareness about the problem of hunger in Tennessee by holding a hunger and wellness walk through downtown Nashville. Participants wore the color orange to recognize Feeding America’s Hunger Action Month which runs through the end of September.

Employees also donated non-perishable food items to donate to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee that jointly sponsored the walk. 

In further recognizance of Hunger Action Month, the State Capitol Cupola will be lit in in the color orange on September the 14th along with other buildings in downtown Nashville.

Hunger Action Month coincides with TDHS’ daily efforts in administering food programs. Statewide one in five children don’t have access to a sufficient quantity of affordable and nutritious food.

To combat this problem, TDHS runs several programs:

 Tennessee’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) helps supplement the monthly food budgets for more than a million Tennessee residents.
 Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) provides reimbursement for meals at child and adult care institutions and family or group day care homes.
Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) provides free meals and snacks to children in low-income areas throughout the summer months when they are out of school.

“We are partnering with the Second Harvest Food Bank to bring awareness to a problem too many people don’t realize is occurring,” said TDHS Commissioner Danielle W. Barnes.  “The problem isn’t necessarily a lack of food in our communities.  It’s that many families don’t know where their next meal will come from and we need to do our part to raise awareness so that we can build stronger communities.”

Hunger Action Month was created by Feeding America in 2008 to help raise awareness and encourage action on hunger and nutrition concerns across the country.  Nationwide 42 million people struggle with hunger.

Learn more about the Tennessee Department of Human Services at www.tn.gov/humanservices.   

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CONTACT:  Sky Arnold
PHONE:  615-313-5551