Monday's rain didn't stop First Lady Maria Lee, Washington County Mayor Joe Grandy, Carter County Mayor Patty Woodby, Jonesborough Alderman Kelly Wolfe, Chancellor John Rambo and other community leaders from distributing thank you boxes to area foster families.
"Giving back is important, and any time we can offer our assistance to First Lady Maria Lee for such a worthy cause, you just can't say no," said Mayor Joe Grandy.
The event was in partnership with One Generation Away, a nonprofit that focuses on combatting hunger throughout the United States. Around 8,500 children are in foster care in Tennessee.
The Jonesborough food distribution thank you is part of the Governor and First Lady's Tennessee Serves initiative. Created out of the desire to transform the state through service, Tennessee Serves is designed to engage Tennesseans in serving one another and their communities.
“I am so encouraged by Tennesseans of all ages we have seen serving across our state,” said First Lady Maria Lee. “Through highlighting and partnering with nonprofits across Tennessee, we hope to inspire even more Tennesseans to connect with and serve alongside organizations in their communities.”
Since the initiative’s launch in 2019, the first lady has completed hundreds of service projects across the state including distributing more than 205,000 meals to those facing food insecurity and 5,664 backpacks to students in the state’s distressed counties. More than 800 kids have completed 3,420 service hours in their communities through the Tennessee Kids Serve Summer Challenge.