Nashville Food Project

What Nashville Food Project does

The Nashville Food Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, that addresses hunger and food insecurity through an integrated model of urban agriculture, food recovery, and scratch-meal production. Programs include Community Agriculture Network (gardens, urban farms, orchards including Growing Together Farm, Mill Ridge Community Farm, and McGruder Community Garden), Community Meals, Food Recovery, Markets & CSA, Heart of Nashville, Sweet Peas Summer Eats for Kids, and Produce Rx. The organization operates five sites across Nashville (headquarters kitchen on California Avenue, St. Luke's Community House kitchen, Haywood Lane FARM, McGruder Community Garden, and Mill Ridge Community Farm), producing 325,000+ scratch-made meals annually and serving over 600 children through summer programming.

The underlying technology stack is non-software by design: meal production relies on commercial kitchen operations, food recovery logistics, and volunteer labor rather than digital products. Annual production capacity spans 325,000+ community meals, 100,000+ summer youth meals, and 51,000+ senior meals, with distribution through 60+ community partners including St. Luke's Community House (~1,330 weekly meals), FiftyForward (~550 weekly meals), Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee, The Ark, and YMCA of Middle Tennessee.

The business model is donation-dependent, with no products or services sold to beneficiaries. Revenue streams include individual donations at tiers from $25 to $2,000, corporate sponsorships (Jackson National Life Insurance Company for Sweet Peas, Kroger for Nourish), foundation grants (West End Home Foundation, National Benevolent Association, Dandridge Trust), and in-kind food donations. The signature fundraising vehicle is the annual Nourish dinner and auction. Leadership is C.J. Sentell (CEO), Casey Carr (COO, joined May 2026), and a board of directors; the founder was Tallu Schuyler Quinn.

Name

Nashville Food Project

Legal name

The Nashville Food Project

Website

https://thenashvillefoodproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Nashville Food Project is a Nashville-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that grows, cooks, and shares scratch-made meals using recovered, donated, and garden-grown food, serving food-insecure residents through 60+ community partners across multiple programs including community meals, urban agriculture, summer youth meals, and produce prescriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Security and Hunger Relief Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI), Food & Nutrition Assistance Programs (BPAIAKAF)

Keywords

• Food security services
• Hunger relief programs
• Urban agriculture
• Food recovery
• Community meal programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting the mission to grow, cook, and share nourishing food. Donation tiers range from $25 to $2,000, supporting specific program needs such as pantry ingredients, seeds, transportation costs, and farmer support.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors like Jackson National Life Insurance Company and Kroger provide programmatic funding and event support, including the Sweet Peas Summer Eats for Kids program and annual Nourish fundraising dinner.
3. Foundation Grants: Support from foundations including West End Home Foundation, National Benevolent Association, Dandridge Trust for senior meal programs, and other philanthropic organizations.
4. Food Donations: Recovery of food from grocers, farmers, markets, restaurants, and individuals that would otherwise go to waste, which is then transformed into nourishing meals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Nashville Food Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that grows, cooks, and shares nourishing scratch-made meals using recovered, donated, and garden-grown food with food-insecure individuals, families, seniors, and children across Nashville through a network of more than 60 partner community organizations. It operates urban farms, community gardens, and commercial kitchens to produce over 325,000 meals annually that are distributed free of charge to beneficiaries through partner agencies, food-as-medicine initiatives, and summer youth meal programs.

Product overview

The Nashville Food Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offering a unified set of food security programs rather than a technology product. The core offerings include the Community Agriculture Network (urban gardens, farms, and orchards including Growing Together Farm, Mill Ridge Farm, and McGruder Community Garden), Community Meals (scratch-made meals prepared from recovered and garden-grown food), Food Recovery (redirecting surplus food from grocers and restaurants), Produce Rx (food-is-medicine healthcare partnership), and seasonal programs like Sweet Peas Summer Eats for Kids. The organization connects land, kitchens, and community to build food security through collective action rather than offering software products or modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Agriculture Network Network of community gardens, urban farms, and orchards where volunteers and community members grow food and share agricultural resources and knowledge with others interested in growing their own food, supplying produce for meals and Produce Rx.
• Community Meals Scratch-made meals prepared in commercial kitchens using recovered, donated, and garden-grown food, then shared with community partners serving individuals and families experiencing hunger in Nashville.
• Food Recovery Program that recovers fresh food from grocers, farmers, markets, restaurants, and individuals that would otherwise go to waste, redirecting it to nourish community members through the Community Meals program.
• Produce Rx Food-is-medicine initiative that connects patients experiencing food insecurity and diet-related chronic conditions with access to nourishing food through healthcare partnerships.
• Sweet Peas Summer Eats for Kids Summer meals program for youth that provides nutritious, made-from-scratch meals to children during the summer months when school meals are unavailable, in partnership with organizations like the YMCA and Boys & Girls Clubs.
• Markets & CSA Growing Together Farmers' Market and community supported agriculture program providing access to fresh, locally grown produce.
• Heart of Nashville Program sharing nourishing meals in partnership with local poverty-disrupting nonprofits and community groups across Nashville.

Quantifiable outcome

• Provided 325,000+ scratch-made meals annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Harpeth Hall SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent and parent community that organized donation drives, raising 2,300 pounds of pantry ingredients and funds to help stock TNFP's kitchens. The school's students also learned about food justice and community service.
• The ArkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSenior-serving nonprofit receiving TNFP's made-from-scratch meals for Meals On Wheels program 3 days a week, as well as weekly community meals. Partnership allows TNFP to extend reach to seniors in South Cheatham County.
• FiftyForwardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSenior services organization receiving TNFP meals for FiftyForward Fresh Meals On Wheels program and adult day service programs, totaling approximately 550 weekly meals. Partnership began with successful pilot program in 2018.
• St. Luke's Community HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnited Way Family Resource Center hosting TNFP's commercial kitchen operations and receiving approximately 1,330 meals weekly for preschool and mobile meals programs. Partnership began in 2016.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle TennesseecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReceives hundreds of healthy meals weekly through Sweet Peas Summer Eats for Kids program at Andrew Jackson Clubhouse and other locations, supporting youth during summer nutrition gap.
• YMCA of Middle TennesseeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSummer meal program partner receiving nutritious meals for children and youth during summer months.
• Project TransformationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSummer meal program partner serving children and youth in Nashville.
• Martha O'Bryan CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner in Sweet Peas Summer Eats for Kids program, providing nutritious meals to children and families.
• United Way SPARK Program at Haywood ElementaryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner receiving summer meal support through United Way's SPARK program at Haywood Elementary.
• Nashville International Center for EmpowermentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerServes immigrant and refugee communities through summer meal programs.
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle TennesseecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor regional food bank; TNFP participates in food recovery networks and refers clients. Second Harvest sponsors Summer Food Service Program sites throughout Middle Tennessee.
• Omni HotelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDuring 2018-2019 government shutdown, Omni Hotel donated boxed lunches and canned goods to support TNFP's meal preparation for TSA workers.
• Dozen BakeryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonated fresh bread during government shutdown support efforts for TSA employees.
• Charpier's BakeryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonated fresh bread during government shutdown support efforts for TSA employees.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wholesome Wave: National nonprofit that runs Produce Prescription (Produce Rx) programs pairing healthcare providers with food access for low-income patients with diet-related conditions. Directly comparable to TNFP's Produce Rx food-as-medicine initiative.
• FoodCorps: National nonprofit connecting kids to healthy food in schools through hands-on gardening, nutrition education, and scratch-cooked meals. Overlaps with TNFP's Sweet Peas youth meals and Community Agriculture Network programs.
• DC Central Kitchen: Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that recovers surplus food, prepares scratch-made meals, and distributes them through community partners while running culinary job training. Highly comparable to TNFP's integrated food-recovery-plus-scratch-meal-plus-community-distribution model.
• The Food Trust: Philadelphia-based nonprofit focused on increasing access to affordable, healthy food and advancing food-as-medicine policy and programs. Comparable to TNFP on the food access, farmers-market, and Produce Rx dimensions.
• Local Matters: Columbus, Ohio nonprofit focused on food access, nutrition education, and community gardening. Comparable to TNFP in combining urban agriculture, food access programming, and direct community food distribution in a single mid-sized-city footprint.
• Community Kitchen Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh nonprofit that prepares scratch-cooked meals from recovered food for community distribution while offering workforce training in culinary skills. Closely mirrors TNFP's meal-production-plus-food-recovery-plus-community-delivery stack.
• City Harvest: New York City's largest food rescue organization, recovering surplus food and distributing it free to hundreds of community food programs. Operates an analogous food-recovery-and-redistribution model at greater scale.
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee: Regional food bank operating across the same Nashville/Middle Tennessee geography, sourcing and distributing donated food through partner agencies. Direct peer on food recovery and distribution, and an active partner of TNFP.

Regional players

• Martha O'Bryan Center: Nashville-based anti-poverty nonprofit offering cradle-to-career services including food access and family support. Operates in the same Nashville geography as TNFP and is an active Sweet Peas summer meals partner, making it a close regional peer.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: National network of 200+ food banks and the largest U.S. domestic hunger-relief organization. Operates broadly across food banking rather than TNFP's specialized urban-agriculture-plus-scratch-meals niche, but addresses the same hunger-alleviation problem at massive scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nashfoodproject
• Facebookfacebook.com/thenashvillefoodproject
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-nashville-food-project

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nashville Food Project