Our Program Highlights

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As recent as May 2017, the Tennessean reported its’  statistics on poverty and hunger. The report found that 18.9% of  Nashvillians live in poverty — a higher rate than Tennessee (17.9%) and the nation (15.9%). According to a recent Feeding America study, an estimated 49 million Americans are food insecure, including more than 1 million Tennesseans.

 1 in 4  children in Tennessee faces hunger every day.

The New Direction CDC food box program is an emergency food supply designed to feed a family of 4 enough food for five days. The food boxes are packaged with non-perishable items that meet USDA Nutritional Guidelines and typically weigh roughly 20 pounds. 

What goes inside the Food Box?

Generally, a food box is comprised of non-perishable food items (with an extensive shelf life). These food items are packaged to balance out a sustainable meal throughout the day and include the following:

• A good blend of fruits and vegetables includes peaches, pears, green beans, corn, etc.
• A good blend of carbs to include rice, potatoes, cereal, pasta, etc. 
• A good blend of protein includes prepackaged tuna, chicken, peanut butter,   beans, etc.
• A good blend of sugars includes snack bars, fruit bars, etc. 
• A measure of milk products, if available 

Our FunCare Bag helps provide food and laughter around the dinner table. We give children and families a backpack filled with food to last a few days and a board game to bring the family together. Children love our FunCare bags. 

FunCare bags are most population to the homeless children of ATLAS school programs, foster care, and Boys & Girls Club. Would you like to monthly sponsor a child's FunCare Bag? 

 Families throughout America and abroad often face sudden emergencies with no immediate or real way out. We seek to help impact their successful transition and total life care. The LifeCare programs focus on providing a range of aid to individuals and families that help manage everyday crises and whole life success. 

The Hope Program is changing lives in many ways. We specifically developed this program to improve the lives of homeless children in schools throughout Tennessee. 

Did you know that there are homeless children in our schools? The New Direction CDC is an official partner of the Rutherford County ATLAS Program. 

We provide Weekend Meals, Food Boxes, free tutoring, Christmas toys, hygiene items, school supplies, and community resources to the ATLAS Program families through our Hope Program.

We also host a semi-annual, large-scale community resource outreach known as our HopeFest with a semi-truck load of food and resources. Would you like to sponsor one of this year's HopeFest? 

 Many middle and high school students across the state and nation aren’t reading at a proficient level. According to a report by the Tennessee Comptroller's Offices of Research and Education Accountability, more than 70% of Tennessee’s eighth-graders read at or below the basic level of proficiency for that grade.