Fentress County Food Drive Collects To Help Seniors During Winter Months

The Fentress County Chamber of Commerce is holding a food drive to help ease the burden of winter weather.

Fentress County Chamber Executive Director Jacob Rosenbaum said the elderly community is often most susceptible to the challenges of the changing seasons. Rosenbaum said the Chamber and the community are helping the Fentress County Food Bank feed those in need through the holiday season.

“That’s a big part of it, is taking care of people who live on fixed incomes who don’t have the opportunity, whether based on age or their ability or the lack thereof, to earn more money, to make sure that those people are provided for,” Rosenbaum said.

Rosenbaum said the cold winter months bring extra expenditures that many can not afford. Between increased utilities for heating a home and holiday shopping for loved ones, necessities can become unaffordable.

“Particularly if it’s an elderly grandparent living on a fixed income who has a grandchild and may not have a lot of money, they’re going to spend money to make sure that they get their grandchild something for Christmas, even if they can’t really afford it,” Rosenbaum said. “It’s the principle of the thing.”

The chamber is accepting donations through December 18 with the goal of raising $5,000.

“Fentress County is a very generous and giving community that supports people in need,” Rosenbaum said. “Fentress County is not the wealthiest county in the state, but we have a long-standing reputation of pulling together and supporting those that are less fortunate. We take care of our own in Fentress County.”

Rosenbaum said Fentress County has a thriving senior center and a  median age of over 50 years old. As the country has seen record-setting inflation, the fixed incomes of the elderly have not risen proportionately, Rosenbaum said.

Around this time last year, the Chamber made a donation to the food bank. Rosenbaum said after more discussion, they realized that if each member of the Chamber donated just $20, they could raise $5,000. This year, the Chamber is calling on the community to help with the food drive.

“It’s not very difficult for most people to be able to contribute an amount that small,” Rosenbaum said. “But when you get a lot of people together contributing those small amounts, it adds up and it can go a long way.”