MARYVILLE, Tenn. (UTIA) — As food prices continue to rise, many families are struggling to keep up with grocery bills. In Blount County, UT Extension is partnering with community organizations to help residents find food resources already available in their area.
One of those resources is a “blessing box” located outside Volunteer Home Mortgage in Maryville. Always open and stocked with supplies, the box offers canned and packaged food free to anyone who needs it.
Jerri Ingram with Volunteer Home Mortgage recalls how quickly the need became apparent when the box was first installed in 2019.
“Within an hour, I went back out there, and it was completely empty,” Ingram said. “Within an hour. I went back to the store, spent another couple hundred dollars, refilled it again.”
Blount County now has 33 blessing boxes, a number that has grown by more than one-third over the past seven years. The boxes offer an anonymous way for people to give or receive food.
“The motto is ‘leave what you can, take what you need,’” said Danielle Trotter with UT Extension in Blount County. “That way, people, if they need to come and use some boxes, they can, and it’s more anonymous. People don’t know if you’re giving or taking.”
Blessing boxes and food pantries are common throughout the county, but UT Extension says awareness is key. The organization is contributing to an online list and mapping system that shows residents where to find food resources, including food banks, churches, hot meal locations, local farms, donation centers, and pantry boxes.
“So anyone can go to our website and look at all of our local food resources in the area,” said Mary Beth Lima with UT Extension in Blount County. “That includes hot meals for the day, donation centers, local farms, and all our pantry boxes.”
UT Institute of Agriculture reporter Charles Denney says the effort brings together dozens of partners.
“There are city and county governments and a number of charitable organizations involved,” Denney said. “It’s all a campaign to let Blount County residents know about the food resources available to them.”
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, food prices are up about 2.5 percent compared to 2024, depending on the item. That increase has made it more difficult for many families, especially those in lower-income brackets, to afford healthy foods.
Local schools are also participating in the awareness campaign, helping food-insecure students and their families find nearby assistance.
“They’ll look at that list and say, ‘Oh, I knew this one was here, but I didn’t know this one was here,’ whether that’s a blessing box, a food pantry, or a hot meal option,” said Madison Costner with Alcoa City Schools.
The online program also provides information for those who want to donate, volunteer, or even build their own blessing box. UT Extension says sharing information is often the first step toward feeding an entire community.
Charles Denney reporting for RFD NEWS.
