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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.