Summertime has kicked off and the thought of school is distant in the minds of many children. However, many low-income parents and grandparents are already thinking about the new academic school year. While parents and guardians with a stable income do not worry about preparations for the upcoming school year, it is a financial burden for families with a limited income. Imagine having to decide between purchasing school supplies or new clothing for a child?
by Aaron T. Murphy
When you need it the most, encouragement can come from places you least expect it. As a child, I never really understood and fully believed in angels until a recent encounter with a complete stranger that has impacted my life forever. Last year, I tore my achilles while playing basketball and was unable to walk for 3 months. Once my doctor fully released me to return to the office on crutches, I struggled both physically and mentally for some time. I was at a point of deep depression and my wife, family and friends did their best to motivate me to keep moving forward in life while serving others.
There is a growing number of deaths from the misuse of Opioids in Tennessee. According to the Johnson City Press, about 1, 300 persons died in Tennessee from opioids in 2017. The article also notes that Northeast Tennessee is one of the epidemic’s “hardest hit” regions in the United States. In fact, the state of Tennessee in 2017, ranks first as the state that records the highest sales of opioids in the United States with “44.3 kilograms of opioids per 100,000 residents.”
According to Feedingamerica.org 1 out of 7 people live in hunger and 1 out of 5 children live in hunger in Tennessee. In addition,Netfoodbank.org notes that the 2011 Census data “reveals that there are 98,292 people (1 out of every 5 residents) living in poverty in Northeast Tennessee (out of a general population of 507,691).” Also, “more than 1 in 4 children under age 18 (29,474 children) live in poverty” in Northeast Tennessee. Going by these statistics, it could be safe to assume that Northeast Tennessee is food insecure.