Back in February of 2023, I wrote several articles about food insecurity in Union County and of the food pantries available at that time. According to the National Institutes of Health, in 2023 Union County had an overall food insecurity rate of 16.4% to 16.7% - up from 12% in 2021. The child food insecurity rate in 2023 was 19.8%. That translates to about 16 out of every 100 Union County residents living in poverty. Food insecurity has risen every year since then. Feeding America estimates Union County has 3,620 food-insecure people out of a population of 21,450 people. Citing statistics, WATE-TV reported in 2023 that Union County had about 840 food-insecure children. Food and fuel prices have increased significantly in the 3 years since those stats were released.

Statewide and local SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) enrollment has dropped substantially because of expanded federal work requirements, including for seniors, a group that previously qualified without meeting work-hour requirements. In Tennessee, SNAP eligibility and enrollment fell from 690,560 people in July 2025 to 597,890 people by May 2026. This drop has sharply increased the burden on local food pantries.

To provide much-needed relief, many organizations offer free food in Union County. The Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee, headquartered in Maryville, is a regional hunger-relief charity and a member of the Feeding America network. It provides supplies for many of the food pantries in the county. Locally, the Fresh Wagon is a mobile food pantry and community outreach program that delivers free fresh fruits, vegetables, and wholesome food items to residents once a month. It is a partnership of St. Teresa of Kolkata Catholic parish, Union County Health Department, University of Tennessee Extension Office, American Cancer Society, the Union County government, and the Union County school system.

We have 10 food pantries operating on various days and times throughout the month (see schedule). Most are run by all-volunteer members of various churches. Some offer prepared meals on specific days; others have free clothes closets.

And then there is the growing number of Blessing Boxes. There are 12 to 15 boxes around the county (see list of Blessing Boxes), including Miller’s Chapel, which decided to add a Blessing Box to their front porch in March of 2025, a food ministry that has continually grown since then.

FISH Hospitality Pantries is a non-profit, interfaith, all-volunteer organization providing food for over 7000 families per month. Miller’s Chapel partners with them to provide supplies for the Miller’s Chapel Blessing Box and other Blessing Boxes and Food Pantries in the county. Every Monday, church volunteers travel to Knoxville for supplies that they then distribute around the county. When the Miller’s Chapel volunteers heard that teachers were using their own funds to buy snacks for their students, the volunteers started distributing snacks to these schools. They are ready and willing to help any other schools that could use a hand up. Schools can contact them through their Facebook page.

Weigel’s has cooked, unsold food items that have passed their ‘sell-by‘, but not their ‘used-by’, date and are still good to eat. The downside was that the food had to be refrigerated. So Miller's Chapel invested in a refrigerator, placed it next to their Blessing Boxes on the church front porch, and volunteers travel to 2 different Weigel’s 4 times a week just to fill that fridge with delicious prepared food!

Miller’s Chapel volunteers also distribute to several other Blessing Boxes, schools, and organizations in the county. I was told that they are doing this for the glory of God and that the volunteers do not wish to personally be named. There is a Blessing Box of Miller’s Chapel Facebook page. Every Sunday, they post the upcoming week’s food pantry schedule, along with inexpensive meal ideas, Food City sales, and anything else that might help people make ends meet.

The idea for a Blessing Box at Miller’s Chapel came from the blue and red boxes at New Start Baptist Church, built by pastor Jeromy Lock’s father-in-law, Roger Cooper. From there, what started as one box has blossomed into a significant resource for Union County. If you would like to support their work and help folks experiencing food insecurity, you could mail a donation to Miller’s Chapel, 2719 Maynardville Hwy, 37807 (across from McDonald’s), or donate online at https://tithe.ly/give_new/www/#/tithely/give-one-time/1323518

Non-perishable, shelf-stable items can go directly into the Blessing Box, and perishable items into the refrigerator on the porch. Note: Please do not donate expired or opened items. You can message them on their Blessing Box of Miller’s Chapel Facebook page if you have large food donations or if there is an emergency need and the boxes are empty. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574779166583