Mayor Andy Berke, right, assists Carolyn Ray is leaving the Chattanooga Area Food Bank on Tuesday morning. The city of Chattanooga is purchasing 250 food vouchers specifically for families in the 37404 and 37406 areas of town. Donations of $1 will provide four meals, according to Mayor Andy Berke.Get involved
Both Mayor Berke and the Chattanooga Area Food Bank encourage residents to donate $5 for 20 meals. Visit connect.chattanooga.gov/GIVE5 or text Give5 to 97779 to pledge to give.
People in Chattanooga are hungry and the city of Chattanooga wants to help.
Mayor Andy Berke announced Tuesday that the city is purchasing 250 food vouchers from the local food bank for families in the 37404 and 37406 ZIP codes.
The city purchased the vouchers after a mother of two, whose husband had been laid off from work, sent Berke a Facebook message explaining that she tried to get food vouchers through United Way's 211, through a church, and various organizations, but no vouchers were available. And by the time she did find a place issuing food vouchers, she no longer had transportation to get the food.
She was one of several residents who recently contacted the mayor because they didn't have enough to eat.
The 37404 and 37406 ZIP codes represent East Chattanooga and include people with the most need, city officials said.
Burke on Tuesday also announced a social media campaign called #Give5Feed20 and challenged the community to donate $5 to the Chattanooga Area Food Bank. A donation of $5 provides 20 meals.
Hamilton County includes some 57,000 people who don't know where their next meal is coming from, said Christa Mannarino, interim president for the Chattanooga Area Food Bank.
That translates into 8.2 million meals that are missed each year, she said.
The vouchers allow recipients to get free food from the food bank, including at least 40 pounds of nonperishable food and another 40 pounds of produce and poultry when it's available, Mannarino said.
The food boxes equate to about $158 worth of food purchased in the store, food bank officials said.
"I want to be clear about something," Berke said. "The vouchers we're providing today don't solve the long-term issues that we face in our community, but they do meet the needs of 250 families."
Darryl Roberts came to the food bank just after the mayor made his announcement. Roberts lives in a household with four kids and three adults. No one has a job, he said.
"This is a very good thing, because some people are starving," Roberts said.
Contact staff writer Yolanda Putman at yputman@timesfreepress.com or 757-6431.