Most Williamson County residents can discuss the abundant merits and attributes of our county and its municipalities at great length: affordable housing, excellent schools, convenience to Nashville for work and play, myriad choices for shopping and dining, and overall a great quality of life. What is not widely talked about, and may not be known about, is food insecurity in Williamson County. Food insecurity is defined by the United States Department of Agriculture as an occasional lack of access to enough food for all members of a household and limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods. According to Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, more than 13,000 adults in Williamson County were food insecure in 2018, while 13.7% of Williamson County children under the age of 18 experienced food insecurity. Compounding those difficulties, approximately 65% of Williamson County residents are ineligible for government assistance because their reported income places them above the qualifying threshold. The figures for Maury County adults were even higher, with an 11.4% food insecurity rate among residents over the age of 18. Furthermore, the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have created even more hardships for people who may currently be underemployed, have been furloughed from work, or have lost their jobs altogether.
The Well Outreach strives to stand in this gap to help alleviate food insecurity for community members in Spring Hill, Thompsons Station, College Grove, Santa Fe, and north Columbia via three platforms: the everyday pantry facility on Main Street in Spring Hill, which people can visit twice monthly and receive a week’s worth of food; the mobile food pantry that facilitates food distribution events at various locations in and near Spring Hill and has distributed more than 260,000 meals since its inception; and the JetPack Project, which partners with 19 schools in Williamson and Maury Counties to provide nutritious, non-perishable food to children of food-deficient households for the weekend during the school year. More than 50,000 JetPack meals were provided to local children during the 2019-2020 school year, and figures are projected to surpass 110,000 meals to be distributed in 2020-2021.
The Well Outreach began in 2006 as a food pantry in a local church and was operated solely by volunteers until 2018. It is now a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and is supported by numerous individuals, churches, civic organizations, and businesses and employs two full-time and four part-time staffers, in addition to scores of devoted unpaid volunteers. Since coming on board as The Well Outreach’s first Executive Director in early 2019, Shelly Sassen has seen The Well’s annual budget increase by 300%. “Traditionally, around 60% of our allocation goes to families in crisis mode, 30% to senior citizens on a fixed income, and around 10% to those suffering from generational hunger. We’ve also recently witnessed the emergence of a new trend, that of grandparents who are now partially or wholly responsible for meeting the food needs of their grandchildren,” said Sassen. “Through our various platforms, The Well endeavors to restore dignity and offer hope to people in our community during uncertain and frightening times.”
In order to be a sustainable and effective entity, The Well relies on fundraising efforts and donations. According to Joseph Knapp, Director of Operations, 70% of The Well’s offerings are a result of monetary and food donations from individuals and 30% are from partnerships with businesses and organizations. Previous fundraising events have included the Shine Gala at the Factory in Franklin and the annual John Maher Builders Whole Hog Festival in Spring Hill on the grounds of the Tennessee Children’s Home, and the Together Live Drive-In Tour concert featuring Grammy award winning artists For King & Country will be held at Oaklawn Mansion in Spring Hill on October 16, 2020.
Historically, September has been declared Hunger Action Month by Feeding America, and #spoontember has recently trended on social media, but together we can take actions to help end hunger in our community, no matter the time of year. Joseph Knapp sums it up nicely: “I think that sometimes people don’t fully understand the power they have within them to make a difference. Each of us can create a path and do something to contribute. We are at our very best when a slice of the community is serving the community.”
If you would like to learn more about the opportunities to utilize The Well’s offerings, are interested in contributing or volunteering, or want to purchase tickets for the October 16, 2020 drive-in concert featuring For King & Country, please go to their website at SpringHillWell.org or call at (615) 302-WELL (9355), or visit their location at 5306 Main Street in Spring Hill during regular business hours.
