Since the beginning of November, over 167,000 families in Shelby County are facing food insecurity. In times like these, our minds often jump to larger organizations that are working to fight the issue like MIFA or the Mid-South Food Bank. While the work they are doing is very important, they are not the only ones making an impact.
The Table Spread Food Pantry was founded by two teenagers in 2016, and according to their website, is the first standalone food pantry in Tennessee founded and run by Muslims.
Lettia Shaw, food pantry manager and board member, remembers when her daughter, one of the founders, noticed the need in her community, especially of elderly people without mobility or access to consistent food sources.
“[The founders] thought it was important that [they] created a program where [the elderly] can have food delivered to them because they can’t often get out of the house and things like that,” she said. “So that’s why she started. She just wanted to feed people.”
The Table Spread sheds light on the hunger needs in the communities around them by not only donating food but also spreading awareness.
“Food and hunger is something that we, if we’re privileged, tend to take for granted,” she said. “If we don’t have to worry about where our next meal is coming from, it’s probably not something that we think about for other people. But it’s one of the basic necessities of humanity and human life and what drives people and their experiences in their life. Nobody wants to be hungry.”
The Table Spread consistently feeds 50 families on the second Saturday of every month, and while the organization is a registered 501c3 non-profit, they receive no government funding. They run solely on donations, and they rely greatly on their tight-knit community of donors and volunteers.
“You can’t do a project without [community],” Shaw said. “An initiative needs people to support it financially, but more importantly, people have to feel it. They have to be emotionally tied to it because that’s how they share the story with others.”
In association with Midtown Mosque, the Memphis Muslim community has fostered and supported this organization since its founding, along with other initiatives.
Following the SNAP crisis, they created the Emergency Food Relief Team, which partnered with other organizations to gather donations. With those donations, they then packed and distributed over 400 emergency boxes across the city.
For Shaw, it’s a matter of faith.
“[It’s] fundamental belief [in Islam] that we were put on this earth to help our neighbors,” she said. “Feeding people is one of the main ways of making sure that people have a positive experience in this life.”
So, how can you help?
On The Table Spread website, there is an option to join a Whatsapp group to stay up to date with volunteer opportunities, and similarly, there is a donate link that allows both one-time and monthly donations.
Shaw said consistent volunteers and donations are crucial to sustain the vital work that this organization is doing, but it doesn’t take much to make a difference.
“Think about feeding a family of four, for four cups of coffee a month,” she said.
It’s the volunteers that keep this organization growing, creating emotional ties that keep people coming back month after month.
“They can go back to their friends and families and social networks and say, hey, look, you know, these people are doing good work,” she said.
While the organization’s main focus is on food insecurity, the self esteem and privacy of the recipients is of utmost importance to Shaw.
Many of the people that the Table Spread serves are considered elderly, and one of the core values of the organization is that the process should first and foremost be dignifying for those in need. Because of this, The Table Spread team makes a conscious effort to maintain the privacy of the people they serve. They do not take or post photos and videos of their recipients.
“Dignity is the first thing we serve people with, and then we help them with their food insecurity,” Shaw said.
