Community Food Advocates
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
SNAP Outreach and Advocacy
We work to ensure families and individuals who may be eligible for SNAP (formerly Food Stamps) have access to benefits. Each year we connect tens of thousands of Tennesseans with nutrition benefit support and information through literature and presentations at over 30 different partner agencies. Every week we visit soup kitchens and other direct service locations, focusing on persons experiencing homelessness, those transitioning from incarceration, elderly and disabled persons, the working poor (or underemployed), veterans, and persons who are immigrants or refugees. Moreover, we advocate on behalf of people who have been incorrectly denied benefits; when clients seeking assistance are denied they may pursue an appeal and often rely on CFA for resources. In addition we work with state administrators to ensure SNAP is functioning as effectively as possible in Tennessee and advocate for program changes that increase access to benefits.
SNAP Fresh
To promote community health and the local economy, we launched the Double Fresh campaign at the Hip Donelson Farmers' Market with the goal of increasing redemption of SNAP benefits at Nashville area farmers' markets. Currently, ten markets in Davidson County accept SNAP benefits and the Double Fresh program has been adopted as SNAPBack by Piedmont Natural Gas.
Growing Healthy Kids
Growing Healthy Kids (GHK) brings parents, educators, students, and community members together to increase access to healthy food in Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS). We provide resources and support for enhanced nutrition education, school garden initiatives, and the elimination of unhealthy options in the cafeteria to fight childhood obesity. This is necessary for students of MNPS, where currently, over 72% of students in MNPS qualify for free and reduced meals; additionally, for many students, school breakfast and lunch may be the only complete meals that they consume daily.Another focus of the GHK program has been expanding the USDA's Farm to School program in MNPS. We plan to roll out the program to five schools within the 2015-2016 school year and will expand to ten more schools during the 2016-2017 academic year.
Community Engagement Projects
We are seeking to provide diverse opportunities for our community members to engage in food system change. Our newest initiative is our SNAP Ambassadors program, which is designed to equip volunteers as advocates to participate in our SNAP Outreach and Advocacy Community Office Hours. As an extension of our Growing Healthy Kids program and in support of school and community gardens, we have a Resource Lending Library with gardening tools and literature available on loan to anyone. Our Bridging the Gap food pantry is one of Davidson County's only "no questions asked" food pantries. Individuals are eligible to choose items from the pantry once they have exhausted other food options. Individuals are not limited by zip code of residence or the number of times that they have utilized the pantry previously in the calendar year.
Nashville Mobile Market
The Nashville Mobile Market (NMM) began as a program of Vanderbilt University in 2010 to combat health disorders linked to a lack of access to fresh, healthy food. It became a program of Community Food Advocates in July 2014. NMM currently partners with 18 different sites across Davidson County that are in food deserts and areas of low access. The market currently sells a combination of local and wholesale produce, seeds, and local honey. Since January 2015, the NMM has served over 2,000 customers.
Where we work
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Login and updateAffiliations & memberships
Tennessee Conference on Social Welfare (TCSW) 1985
Center for Nonprofit Management Excellence Network 1998
Community Shares 2008
Alignment Nashville 2008
Hands On Network 2011
Volunteer Administrator's Network 2012
External reviews
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Community Food Advocates
Board of directorsas of 03/22/2016
Mr. Juan Escarfuller
Vanderbilt University
Term: 2014 - 2016
Fay Delk
Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth
Jeff Themm
Food Advocate
Juan Escarfuller
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Sydney Rogers
Alignment Nashville
Sharon Ruiz
Attorney
Fanny Sung
Dietitian