Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee responded to the looming cuts to food assistance with a website showing local resources across the state and a politically charged message for Democrats.
Federal officials said money for food from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will not be loaded onto cards on November 1. The program has become the highest-profile victim of the political fight in Washington that has left the federal government shutdown for weeks.
Nearly 690,000 Tennesseans rely on SNAP benefits each month. Shelby County would be hardest hit if SNAP benefits do not arrive.
In September, 152,265 people here relied on SNAP benefits for food. These benefits typically total around $33 million each month in Shelby County. The missing funds could mean a monthly $33 million hole in the local economy as those without food assistance will be less able to shop at area grocery stores.
Lee said late last week that the Tennessee government cannot help Tennesseans who may go hungry because of the SNAP cut. He said the state simply does not have the funding mechanism to help, despite having nearly $2 billion in rainy-day funds. He repeated the claim in his Thursday morning email.
In recent years, Lee has backed $500-million deals in Tennessee to bring Ford Motor Co. to the West Tennessee Megasite and to help the Tennessee Titans build a new stadium in Nashville.
Lee did not respond to a call from state Democrats for a special session to deal with the situation.
However, governors in other states, including some Republican governors, have stepped up with state aid. Lee, meanwhile, is in Asia on a state business trip. His office posted Wednesday that he and a small team were in Japan.
Lee responded to the coming SNAP cuts early Thursday morning with the launch of FeedTN.org, “a platform that will connect Tennesseans with resources and opportunities to serve.” The subject line of the email from his office said the website was for “Tennesseans impacted by Democrat-led federal government shutdown.” The partisanship in his message contented throughout the official statement.
“Democrats can ensure hardworking Tennessee families receive the resources they need by reopening the federal government now,” said Lee. “Their failure to fund federal nutrition programs cannot be solved by states, and the void cannot be filled with temporary fixes that would only drain state resources and prolong the misery of this shutdown.
“I’m grateful to the nonprofit and faith-based partners who are stepping up to fill the gap, and sincerely hope that Democrats choose to reopen the federal government – not only to serve SNAP recipients, but also the millions of Tennesseans who are forced to pay the consequences of their disappointing failure.”
Lee said his Faith Based and Community Initiative, a coalition of more than 300 nonprofit and faith community leaders, is mobilizing across all Tennessee counties. The Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) has collaborated with those leaders and a number of state departments to help Tennesseans identify resources for food insecurity.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) continues to administer The Emergency Food Assistance Program in partnership with Tennessee’s five regional food banks for access to nutritious foods statewide.
Lee said TennCare’s CHOICES program provides a daily meal delivery benefit for older adults and adults with physical disabilities enrolled in the program. The benefit will continue despite the federal government shutdown. Also, adults enrolled in TennCare should reach out to their health plan if they need help requesting this benefit.
Through TennCare’s Community Compass website, Tennesseans may connect with local organizations offering free or low-cost services such as medical care, food assistance, job training, and more.
At FeedTN.org, Tennesseans can enter the name of their county and get connected to additional resources for help during the shutdown. Lee’s office also listed food banks and other agencies for help in counties and cities:
Mid-South Food Bank: https://www.midsouthfoodbank.org/find-food
Chattanooga Area Food Bank: https://chattfoodbank.org/hungry
Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee: https://netfoodbank.org/help/
Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee: https://secondharvestetn.org/find-a-food-pantry/
Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee: https://www.secondharvestmidtn.org/find-resources/find-food/
Additional Community Resources:
TN Community Compass: https://communitycompass.tn.gov/
TN Disability Pathfinder: https://www.tnpathfinder.org/
Dial 2-1-1, or search for local resources online:
Chattanooga 2-1-1: https://team211.communityos.org
Memphis 2-1-1: https://team211.communityos.org/linc211memphis
Nashville 2-1-1: https://team211.communityos.org/homepage-uwgn
Knoxville 2-1-1: https://easttn211.communityos.org