Nourishing Children In Catoosa

08/22/2026

We had a great turnout for our first week of packing this year! New people, long-time volunteers, and cool new signage on our trailer! We hope to see everyone again this Monday and more are welcome. Same time (12:15 set-up starts, 1:00 lines start), same place (Ringgold UMC, Sparks Street side). Hope to see you there - and bring a friend!

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08/17/2026

A cause for celebration! We have received a United Way Bridge Grant for the 26/27 fiscal year to help fund our efforts to help alleviate weekend food insecurity for Catoosa County students. NCIC DirectorJanet Cumbee was pleased to accept! United Way has partnered with us for several years, which acknowledges the value of our program. Thank you, United Way of Greater Chattanooga!

08/15/2026

See you Monday (8/17) for our first packing! Set-up starts about 12:15 if you can come early, the packing lines start at 1:00. Hope to see you there and bring a friend!

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07/27/2026

Nourishing Children in Catoosa (NCIC)
2025-2026 Summary

It was another successful year for NCIC!

• Number of sacks packed and delivered: 62,031
• Number of weeks: 34
• Average sacks/week: 1,824
• Average cost/sack: $1.63 We were able to receive some Georgia Nutritional Assistance Program (GNAP) items at lower cost. In addition, the Chattanooga Area Food Bank was able to reduce some costs during the time Federal SNAP benefits were suspended.

We have no expenses other than the food items we pack. We are grateful for the financial support we received from many individuals and we also received financial grants from the following local business:
• North Georgia Electric Membership Cooperative (NGEMC) Round-Up Program
• WalMart
• Food Lion
• United Way
• Chattanooga Area Food Bank

We did not have any expenses for the sacks used for packing the seven items each week thanks to the donations of sacks from the local businesses and individuals:

Wendy’s
McDonald’s
Food Lon
Ingles
Lisa Raby
Danny Skates
Walgreen’s
Arby’s
Price Drugs
Elder’s Ace Hardware
Burger King
Taco Bell
Zaxby’s
KFC
Bojangles
Bailey’s
Choo Choo BBQ
Circle K
Popeye’s
Cracker Barrel

In addition, a team from Shaw Industries moves all of our Food Bank deliveries each month from the delivery site into our storage room. The Nourishing Children in Catoosa program could not do its work without the support of all the volunteers who donate their time each week and all of the individuals, businesses, and grants which provide financial support. Reduction of food insecurity on weekends for Catoosa County students is the goal. We look forward to doing it again in 2026-2027!

(The first packing for 2026-2027 will be on August17, set-up at 12:30, lines start at 1:00. We pack at Ringgold United Methodist Church, Sparks Street entrance. For information about volunteering, check our page, which is updated each week during the school year. Our email is [email protected].)

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05/10/2026

Last chance! Monday, May 11, is our LAST NCIC packing for this 25/26 school year. We do not pack the last week of school because of the low attendance and special events of that last week for students and teachers. It's our special end-of-year sack which includes a jar of peanut butter and a new toothbrush. So, it would be great if we have a good turnout of volunteers so we can continue to get the sacks ready in record time. If you've been one of our frequent volunteers, thank you! If you've never come, we'd love to have you be part of this final push and celebrate another wonderful year of helping to reduce food insecurity for Catoosa County students. We'll post a summary of the year once we tally the statistics, and you will be amazed and inspired by the numbers. See you Monday -- and bring a friend!

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05/03/2026

Monday, May 4, will be our next to last NCIC packing for the 25/26 school year!! Hard to believe, but true! So, if you've been thinking you'd give it a try, come join us and then maybe commit to it in August! Packing lines start at 1:00, set-up around 12:15 or so, done by 2:00, usually. Ringgold UMC, use Sparks Street parking and entrance to gym. Hope to see a whole lot of newbies and regulars. Bring a friend!

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04/19/2026

Feels like fall, but it really is Spring and only four more NCIC packing until the final one in May! Let's enjoy each one of them! Hope to see you on Monday (the 20th), any time after about noon to start the set-up, packing lines start at 1:00. Great group of volunteers, so see you then -- and bring a friend!

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04/05/2026

Spring Break is over and we're back as usual to pack sacks for NCIC on Monday (the 6th). We start setup around noon and packing lines start at 12:00. Whether you're a faithful regular or have not joined us before, we hope to see you -- and bring a friend!

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03/29/2026

Reminder!! NO packing on Monday, March 30! It’s Spring Break for Catoosa County. See you on April 6, 12:00 if you want to help set up, 1:00 for the start of the packing lines.