Organization Expects To Feed 500 Families Saturday

Hundreds of Upper Cumberland families will receive free food when Feed America First visits the Putnam County Fairgrounds Saturday.

Executive Director Mike Womack said a variety of perishable and non-perishable food items will be distributed.

“We plan on arriving with somewhere around 32,000 to 35,000 pounds of food,” Womack said. “I know that’s a little hard to wrap your head around, but the goal is to be able to feed 500 families at 60 pounds of food per family.”

Womack said residents from across the Upper Cumberland are invited to attend the event.

“We expect to have people from Jackson, Clay, Overton, and White Counties,” Womack said. “We needed a centralized location and the fairgrounds in Cookeville seemed to be a good place to do it.”

Womack said this won’t be the last food giveaway event in the Cookeville area.

“We are partnering with Mayor Shelton and Mayor Porter to do a mayor’s prayer breakfast at Life Church,” Womack said. “All proceeds from the event will go to Feed America First to do more events like this in the Cookeville area.”

Saturday’s grocery giveaway takes place from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Residents will not be required to provide documentation or paperwork.