Chattanooga Food Coalition

7.18.2024 – Community Meeting

We held a community meeting to discuss the impacts of the closure of Food City on East 23rd St.

By the Numbers (data provided by Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap):

  • The food insecurity rates are higher in the zip codes surrounding the Food City on E 23rd than those of Hamilton County as a whole. The overall food insecurity rate for Hamilton County residents is 13.4%. Food security rates in the zip codes surrounding the closed Food City are as follows: 37408 – 14%, 37404 – 19%, 37410 – 26%, 37407 – 30%. 
  • From 2021 to 2022, Hamilton County food insecurity rates increased nearly 3%
  • The food insecurity rate among Black persons and Hispanic persons in Hamilton County is more than double that of White, non-Hispanic persons.

Current Supports in Place:

  • CARTA
    • Attached map that shows bus lines to the new Food City on Broad St.
    • CARE-A-Van service is available to residents and visitors in CARTA’s service area who due to injury, illness or functional incapacity of a temporary or permanent nature, are unable to use CARTA’s fixed route transit vehicles.
    • CARTA GO is a shared ride service that operates within and around the Cromwell, East Brainerd, Eastdale, and North Brainerd communities that also allows easy connection to the #4 Eastgate/ Hamilton Place bus route. Book a ride straight from your smartphone and get picked up in minutes. Let us know where you are and what your destination is within the service zone, and we will take you there!
  • CNE Food Mapping shows what food sources are available in the surrounding area (last updated in 2022).
  • Chattanooga Area Food Bank resources: Foxwood Food Center and partner feeding programs, mobile pantries, bilingual SNAP assistance.
  • United Way Greater Chattanooga: Hamilton County residents can dial 2-1-1 or text their zip code to 898-211 for food assistance.

Listening Session:

We heard from residents, organizations, and government representatives about how they have been impacted.

  • Along with the closure of the Walgreens on McCallie, there is a growing lack of pharmacies in the area.
  • Difficulty in transportation by foot to the New Food City on Broad, especially in hot weather, and due to poor sidewalks.
  • Continued lack of access to fresh food in low-income and minority communities.
  • Patrons of the closed Food City may not feel a sense of belonging at the new Food City because it is appealing to a different population.
  • There is a need to bridge cultural and language barriers with tiendas, which often carry fresh, affordable produce.
  • Importance of including input from the Latino and Hispanic communities in future meetings.

Solution Brainstorming Breakout Session:

In this exercise, we brainstormed solutions, both big and small.

  • Alternatives like smaller grocery stores, dollar stores with more fresh produce, and tiendas.
  • Establish community gardens using unused spaces, like abandoned railroad tracks.
  • Open a city-owned grocery store.
  • Court new grocery stores to open.
  • Expand public transportation and ride share programs.
  • Improve fresh produce options at dollar stores.
  • Improve bike lanes and sidewalk safety.
  • Adjust hours of operation for current locations to meet community needs.
  • Implement Food RX boxes for those with chronic illnesses.
  • Protect current grocery stores from closure through training and education.
  • Host community events at local grocers to attract customers.
  • Reassess zoning laws.
  • The Chattanooga Community Co-Op group is working on launching a community-owned grocery store.

4.18.2024 – Coalition Meeting

Community Food Assessment – Strategic Plan Presentation

Attendees began by having their photos taken on Polaroids, which they then placed on a large poster that showed different parts of the food system. Allie Beukema presented a strategic plan for developing a Community Food Assessment. She guided attendees through a workshop to establish working groups. These working groups will inform the creation of Community Food Assessment. Check out our “Get Involved” tab to let us know if you’d like to sign up for a working group, tentatively slated to kick off fall 2024!

10.19.2023 – Coalition Meeting

This meeting set the stage for the Chattanooga Food Coalition. The leadership team was formally introduced, we reviewed our mission and vision statement, shared the planned organizational structure, and shared who we had been meeting with leading up to the meeting. Attendees completed a survey, the results of which will be used to establish priorities for the coalition moving forward. Surveys were sent out to the entire coalition email list following the meeting, for a total of 26 completed surveys.

Survey Results

1. What do you see as the top priorities for the food coalition to address in order to advance our mission? 

  1. Develop regional food plan using stakeholder engagement
  2. Community outreach regarding food assistance programs
  3. Identify or create food resource directory/asset map
  4. Create a forum for local grocers for cross-learning, education for food assistance programs

2. What do you see as the most pressing challenges faced by Hamilton County residents related to food access? 

  1. Historically marginalized communities are unaware or not utilizing all available resources
  2. Groups who fall through the cracks (e.g. middle income who are not eligible for benefits, seniors, unhoused)
  3. Lack of access to affordable local food, especially in food deserts
  4. Lack of a regional food plan
  5. Lack of nutrition and cooking education programs (shopping for nutritious foods, cooking classes, menu planning)
  6. Transportation issues

3. What are your most urgent needs related to food access?

  1. Timely distribution of quality food for those in need (prepared food for homeless and those who cannot cook for themselves, snacks for youth)
  2. Affordable, local produce and protein-rich foods
  3. Increased networking in food system
  4. Transportation to and from grocery stores
  5. Food donations from businesses

4. What ad hoc workgroups do you think the food coalition should establish? 

Issue-specific workgroups: education/outreach, healthy food access, language barriers, seniors, community gardens

Chattanooga Food Coalition