THE BRANCH OF NASHVILLE INC

THE FOOD PANTRY WAS OPEN 4 HOURS PER DAY/5 DAYS PER WEEK UP THROUGH JULY 2024 AND 4 DAYS PER WEEK AUGUST THROUGH DECEMBER. AVAILABILITY OF FOOD AND NOT ENOUGH STAFF FORCED THE DECREASE IN OPEN HOURS. FOOD IS ALWAYS FREE OF CHARGE TO ANYONE WITH NEED. CLIENTS COMPLETE REGISTRATION ONLINE AND SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT FOR DRIVE UP SERVICE. EACH HOUSEHOLD CAN RECEIVE FOOD ONE TIME PER MONTH. CLIENTS CAN RECEIVE ONE EMERGENCY BOX OF FOOD PER MONTH WITHOUT AN APPOINTMENT. 240 APPOINTMENTS (JAN-JUL) AND 192 APPOINTMENTS (AUG-DEC) ARE SCHEDULED PER WEEK WITH SLOTS FULLY BOOKED THREE WEEKS IN ADVANCE. NEW APPOINTMENTS OPEN UP AT MIDNIGHT AND ARE GONE BY 12:01. SENIORS DO NOT NEED AN APPOINTMENT TO GET FOOD EACH WEDNESDAY. AS MANY AS 120 SENIORS ARE SERVED EACH WEDNESDAY. THE BRANCH IS A COMMUNITY PARTNER FOR SECOND HARVEST OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE, FACILITATING ACCESS TO FOOD FOR THOSE WHO EXPERIENCE FOOD INSECURITY. THE FOOD DISTRIBUTED IS LARGELY DONATED BY SECOND HARVEST, AREA RETAIL STORES, CHURCHES AND INDIVIDUALS. THE BRANCH DISTRIBUTED 16,242 CARTS OF FOOD TOTALING 1,442,311 LBS OF FOOD TO 16,047 UNIQUE PEOPLE IN 2024. THE PANTRY IS STAFFED WITH ONE FULL-TIME, TWO PART-TIME EMPLOYEES, AND APPROXIMATELY 2,500 VOLUNTEERS DONATING OVER 21,800 HOURS.

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING PROGRAM HOSTED 250 STUDENTS FROM AROUND 30 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES SPEAKING 15 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES, WITH 150 STUDENTS ON A WAITING LIST IN 2024. STUDENTS CAME MOSTLY FROM DAVIDSON, RUTHERFORD, WILSON, AND WILLIAMSON COUNTIES IN MIDDLE TN. THE 19 CLASSES - LED BY ONE FULL TIME TEACHER, 17 PART-TIME TEACHERS, ONE STUDENT COORDINATOR, ONE CAREER COUNSELOR, ONE ASSISTANT, AND 3 REGULAR VOLUNTEER TEACHER ASSISTANTS - WERE AVAILABLE DAYTIME AND EVENING BY VIDEO, IN-PERSON OR HYBRID. STUDENTS STUDIED IN LEVELS BASIC-5 PLUS ADVANCED, MEETING 1.5 HOURS EACH CLASS TWICE PER WEEK FOR 40 WEEKS. STUDENTS NORMALLY COMPLETE ONE LEVEL PER YEAR. CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY'S VENTURE CURRICULUM WAS UTILIZED. IN ADDITION TO OUR TRADITIONAL CLASSES, WE ALSO INCORPORATE CONVERSATION PARTNERS, THEMED SIMULATIONS OF LIFE SKILLS EVENTS, AND CAREER COACHING. A GRANT AWARDED THROUGH WORKFORCE ESSENTIALS ALLOWED STUDENTS TO ONLY PAY THE COST OF THEIR WORKBOOKS, $43 PER YEAR. 13 STUDENTS WERE ENROLLED IN INTENSIVE ELL, ATTENDING CLASS 6 HOURS PER WEEK, AND PAYING A FEE OF $285 PER SEMESTER.