Church opens Free Grocery Shop

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – A part of Venue Church is now a grocery store.

But not a typical grocery story, because whatever folks pick up down the aisles, they can take home for free.

“I think this is wonderful. This is wonderful. This really could help a lot of people,” Valecia Elder said.

The church saw that folks needed groceries not just after the Easter tornado, but also during the COVID-19 pandemic.

So, they opened up a Free Grocery Shop by using donations and partnering with Operation Blessings.

“Everybody’s got so much stress on them already. Just, what do I do with my kids, what do I do with not having that paycheck coming in that the one thing that they shouldn’t be worried about is what are we, where are we going to get food. What are we going to eat tonight,” Venue Church Lead Pastor Tavner Smith said. “Just to have that peace of mind that there’s a place they can go to meet their basic needs. We’re just so honored and joyed that we get to play a part in helping them with that.”

According to the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, food insecurity rates are projected to rise in all 20 counties they cover.

They said the counties with the highest expected rates are Catoosa, Hamilton and Whitfield Counties.

As for the grocery shop, all anyone has to do is go to the church grab a bag and fill up.

They are open daily from 4pm-7pm from Monday through Thursday, June 11th.

The store is located at the Venue Church Chattanooga Campus, 6401 Lee Hwy, Chattanooga, TN.