For Nashville's Homeless, Finding A Hot Meal Is Harder Than Ever

Typically in Nashville, nearly a dozen group meals are available every day for people who are homeless. But COVID-19 has changed everything.

During social distancing, major shelters remain open, but many of the standalone meals have closed. Those that remain have scaled down to a skeleton crew of volunteers. Information about where to eat is scattered. And hunger has suddenly become a primary issue for people living on the streets.

One place homeless Nashvillians can still find a hot meal three times a week is at Catholic Charities’ Loaves and Fishes program in East Nashville. Due to new restrictions, the meals are no longer sit-down, community style. These days, a single, masked volunteer hands plates out the door to women and men like Sideways, who knows it may be awhile before there’s another chance to get hot food.

“We don’t eat everyday,” Sideways says. “Sometimes (every) two or three.”

The solo server is Wendy Overlock, who’s been serving meals here for 15 years. Even though all of her volunteers have been temporarily laid off, she’s staying on — cooking, serving, and cleaning up after as many as 70 guests per meal.

Read more: https://wpln.org/post/for-nashvilles-homeless-finding-a-hot-meal-is-harder-than-ever/