The Nashville Food Project hasn’t had the luxury of taking its foot off the gas in its efforts to help provide food security to local citizens in need. Despite the nonprofit's own supply chain of donated food being disrupted — as many of the restaurants it depends on are dealing with their own internal issues — and volunteers being unable to visit the West Nashville facility to offer assistance to the staff, the NFP continues to soldier on.
In addition to meal deliveries, the group's Community Cupboard and the satellite kitchen program in partnership with Henley, The Nashville Food Project has started a new series of online educational seminars that they're calling “Side Dishes.” If you’re interested in topics like food security and how comfort food helps us cope, there are two interesting programs coming up in the next couple of weeks. The first will be held on Tuesday, May 19, from 11 a.m.-noon, and will feature NFP Community Garden manager Kia Brown. It’s a Zoom presentation, so you’ll need to register on the NFP website for an invitation. Here are the details:
Growing Through Food Insecurity With Kia Brown: Kia Brown works as the Community Garden manager at The Nashville Food Project, offering folks hands-on opportunities and support to reconnect to the earth and learn to grow food. In this session, Kia will share her favorite tips for growing nutritious food in small spaces, highlight her favorite gardening resources, and host a Q&A for anyone interested in learning to grow!
The second Side Dish will be an Instagram Live event on Tuesday, May 26, starting at 6 p.m. It will feature artist, writer and editor Natalie Eve Garrett, who will discuss the role of comfort food in the coping process during the Coronavirus crisis. Here are the deets:
A Conversation With Natalie Eve Garrett Of Eat Joy: Stories & Comfort Food From 31 Celebrated Writers: Natalie Eve Garrett is an artist, writer and editor of Eat Joy: Stories & Comfort Food From 31 Celebrated Writers, a collection of personal stories with recipes that explore how comfort food helps us cope in dark times. She is also author of The Artists’ and Writers’ Cookbook: A Collection of Stories and Recipes and the forthcoming Lonely Stories: 20 Celebrated Writers on the Joys & Perils of Being Alone. She will join us to talk about her work and channeling creativity to the page via Instagram Live (@thenashvillefoodproject, @nevegarrett).
These free sessions are designed with hospitality industry workers in mind, but they are certainly open to anyone with an interest in these important issues. Tune in and learn!
