The Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society and Foundation recently funded a $10,000 grant to assist in opening the Brainerd Community Food Pantry.
“One of the tenets of our organization is promoting community health,” says Dr. James Haynes, past president of the Medical Society and chair of the Healthy Community Work Group. “A major facet of health is nutrition. In our area, nearly 200,000 people could face hunger. Of those people, 41% are children.
“We felt compelled to help address this need in the community by granting the startup funds to the Brainerd Food Pantry. In our profession, prevention is always preferable to cure.”
Bess Steverson of the Brainerd Community Food Pantry says the gift from the Medical Society allowed the community pantry to open earlier.
“There has been a 449% increase in emergency food box requests from the same period last year, so our most vulnerable neighbors couldn’t wait. Thanks to this gift, we have provided 71,000 meals to 2,700 adults and 1,700 children, families and individuals throughout the Brainerd area.”
“We are intimately aware of the impact that COVID-19 has had on our community. As physicians, we see it every day,” says Dr. Colleen Schmitt, Medical Foundation president. “By aiding the Brainerd Food Pantry, we hope to help remove one more worry from those most affected by the pandemic.”
The Brainerd Food Pantry is open the second and fourth Wednesday of each month from 4:30-6 p.m. at Brainerd United Methodist Church (4315 Brainerd Road). Information
Source: Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society