Food truck gives food to people in need

Food truck brings food to people in need across East Tennessee.

Brittany Bade, WBIR 9:57 AM. EST March 30, 2016

The Knoxville Dream Center is using its food truck to help provide for people who live in "food deserts."

Food deserts are areas within cities that need assistance getting food, but do not have the means to travel and get food themselves. There are 20 food deserts in the Knox County.

READ: 20 Knox Co. areas classified as food deserts

"It may be a little ambitious, but we'd like to have a footprint in every food desert," said Ross Jones, the Director of Operations for the Knoxville Dream Center.

The Dream Center currently has stops in six of the food deserts. Many of the people in those areas have come to rely on the food trucks weekly visit.

"I've literally had people come up to me and tell me, 'if you don't come, I won't make it,'" Jones said.

Food truck visits are similar to a trip to the grocery store. The truck full of fresh produce, non-perishable food items and bread is unloaded onto a table. 

The people there can shop and pick out anything they'd like from the table. 

The volunteers, who help distribute the food, always make an effort to get to know the people they see every week.

"What we would really like is to not only give food out, but also deepen relationships and see what are the other needs beyond the food and looking for other things we can help people with," Jones said.

If you would like to volunteer, you can find more information here.

Editor's note: The map below shows where the Knoxville Dream Center's food truck is located. It is color coordinated to show which day the truck is open on Tuesdays (red), Wednesdays (green) and Thursdays (orange). Click each on the markers to see what time the truck is open.

Knoxville Dream Center's six food truck locations

Forest Creek ApartmentsTuesdays at 2 p.m.322 Forestal Dr.Knoxville, TN 37918

Halls – Mynatt RoadTuesdays at 3 p.m.3406 Mynatt RoadKnoxville, TN 37918

Norwood ManorWednesdays at 11 a.m.5237 Tillery RoadKnoxville, TN 37912

Cedar Springs ApartmentsThursdays at 11 a.m.364 Cedar View WayKnoxville, TN 37919

Green Hills ApartmentsThursdays at 2:30 p.m.1930 Natchez Ave.Knoxville, TN 37915

Lincoln ParkThursdays at 4:00 p.m.334 E. Burwell Ave.Knoxville, TN 37917

Go to the Knoxville Dream Center's website for more information.

(© 2016 WBIR)

Source: Food truck gives food to people in need