Putnam Grocery Giveaway Resumes Friday At New Location

The Putnam County weekly grocery giveaway has been moved.

Cookeville Strong Member Katelyn Steakley said the grant funded program will resume at the Putnam County Sports Complex Friday at 10:00 a.m.

“What we learned was that we had a little bit too much traffic flow for the fairgrounds, so that is why we are moving,” Steakley said. “This is the old run way strip is where we are going to be distributing it, so there is a lot of room out there, and we can make more than one line.”

Steakley said during the first giveaway, over 450 vehicles and 20 non-profits received food boxes. The giveaway is made possible through a partnership with Cookeville Strong, Tennessee Tech and the Putnam County Parks and Recreation Department.

“I’m just excited to see the impact, especially after (last) week’s storm,” Steakley said. “There is going to be a lot of people that need food, and hopefully, (this) week we can help restock some refrigerators and get people back up on their feet.”

Non-profits are asked to place their grocery pick-up by sending in requests to volunteer@tntech.edu. The address for the giveaway is 497 Whiteaker Springs Road.

Perishable food boxes come from the USDA Farmers to Families program weekly until sometime in the early spring. The boxes contain meats, cheeses, vegetables, fruits, and one gallon of milk.