“All struggling households in Cocke County
will replace the experience of food insecurity
with food independence.”
will replace the experience of food insecurity
with food independence.”
What does it mean to be food insecure?
Food Insecurity refers to the USDA’s measure of lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members and limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods. Food insecurity may also reflect a household need to make trade-offs between important basic needs, such as housing or medical bills, and purchasing nutritionally adequate foods. Food insecure households are not necessarily food insecure all the time.
In Cocke County, 23% of the overall population meets the USDA's definition of food insecurity. 32% of our county's children are food insecure. C-5's purpose is to support the children of Cocke County on their educational journeys from birth to career, and children must be nourished to learn effectively. The impact of child food insecurity includes poor health, difficulty getting the skills needed for Kindergarten, poor performance during the first years of school, and less engagement and lower test scores as teens.
In Cocke County, 23% of the overall population meets the USDA's definition of food insecurity. 32% of our county's children are food insecure. C-5's purpose is to support the children of Cocke County on their educational journeys from birth to career, and children must be nourished to learn effectively. The impact of child food insecurity includes poor health, difficulty getting the skills needed for Kindergarten, poor performance during the first years of school, and less engagement and lower test scores as teens.
If you are already contributing to children's food security or want to learn more about how you can contribute in partnership with others, please contact C-5's Food Security Coordinator: Nicole Howard at 423-647-3997.